Tallinn, September 19, 2024
orthodox.ee
The Holy Synod the Estonian Orthodox Church met earlier this week to discuss the latest demand from the state.
The Synodal press release states that the hierarchs, meeting on September 16, discussed a letter from Tarmo Miilits, Chancellor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia, to the episcopate regarding statements from Patriarch Kirill’s on August 28.
“The Synod reaffirmed its position that the EOC does not participate in political processes, and its opinion on the Patriarch’s statements has already been expressed in the statement of the Synod of the EOC-MP from April 2, 2024.”
On April 2, the Estonian Synod responded to a statement from the World Russian People’s Council, a public forum headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, that spoke of a “holy war” in Ukraine and the much-discussed “Russian world” concept. For their part, the Estonian hierarchs declared that they cannot accept the “Russian world” theory.
The Estonian government’s latest demand for a response from the Church stems from statements made by Pat. Kirill late last month.
“Despite the appearance of political borders in the so-called post-Soviet space, there are none for the Russian Orthodox Church, because we are the Church of All Rus’, and for me Kiev, Minsk, and the other capitals of the republics are important spiritual centers of the united Holy Rus’,” the Patriarch told those gathered for a meal following the Liturgy for the feast of the Dormition in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral.
“In the speech of the Patriarch, the capitals of the republics that were part of the former Soviet Union were called ‘important spiritual centers of the united Holy Rus’.’ Tallinn, in our deep conviction, is certainly not one of them!” Internal Affairs Chancellor Tarmo Miilits wrote in his letter to the bishops.
The Ministry condemned the Patriarch’s statement as imperialistic and threatening to Estonian national security, saying it requires a clear response from the Estonian Church, “including withdrawal from subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate.”
Last month, a week before Pat. Kirill’s statement, the Council of the Estonian Church voted to amend its statutes, removing all references to the statutes of the Moscow Patriarchate, though this move didn’t satisfy the state.
The Synod’s new decision also states:
The EOC preaches the Gospel teaching about the salvation of the world through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We consider the highest meaning and purpose of human life to be overcoming the sinful nature of man in order to know God and unite with Him, which is the key to a blessed eternal life. According to the statutes of our Church, we build our relations with the Estonian state freely and independently.
A detailed response to the Chancellor’s letter will be sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the near future.
In May, the Estonian Parliament declared the Moscow Patriarchate an accomplice in state aggression. The Estonian Church filed a complaint earlier this month, demanding to be removed from the list of supporters of military aggression.
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