Tallinn, April 10, 2025
St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. Photos: postimees.ee
The Riigikogu, Estonian Parliament, has adopted the law aimed at banning the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church.
The amendments to the Law on Churches and Congregations earned 60 votes for and 13 against in its third reading yesterday, reports postimees.ee. According to Estonian law, after three readings, a bill goes to the President for promulgation.
The amendments state that no church, monastery, or parish operating in Estonia should, in its activities, be subordinate to or connected with a governing body located in a foreign state that poses a threat to state security, public order, or the constitutional order of Estonia.
The Parliament earlier declared the Moscow Patriarchate a supporter of military aggression, but has failed to demonstrate how the Church poses a threat to Estonia. On the contrary, the authorities have acknowledged on multiple occasions that they see no dangerous activity from the Church. According to the statutes of the Estonian Church, it’s independently administered in Tallinn, maintaining only a non-legal canonical connection to the Moscow Patriarchate, but Estonian authorities have failed to deal with this reality.
Postimees explains: “To comply with the law’s requirements, it’s necessary to significantly change the statutes and cease interaction with the Church center in Moscow.” However, the Estonian Church has already changed its statutes to strengthen and more fully reflect its independence, but the registration commission refused to accept the new statutes, accepting them only after being forced to by court decision.
If the requirements of the new law aren’t met within two months, the Minister of Internal Affairs can apply to the courts to adjudicate ecclesiastical canonical matters and liquidate legal entities associated with the given Church.
Meanwhile, an explanatory note on the bill argues that Estonia respects religious freedom.
According to the former head of the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs and leader of the Social Democrats in the Riigikogu Lauri Läänemets, the state will take the Church’s property in the case of liquidation.
The Estonian Church published a response today, stating:
Although laws should be universal, it’s obvious that in this case we’re dealing with a law specifically directed against the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church and the Pükhtitsa Monastery. Despite the fact that we’ve always been a law-abiding Church, observing all the laws of the Republic of Estonia and contributing to the well-being of Estonian society, it was deemed necessary to change the law.
There has been a concerted media campaign against the Church since the authorities determined to ban the Church, the statement notes.
As the bill restricts the Church’s religious freedom, it will appeal to the President and the Chancellor of Justice to evaluate it. The Church also intends to appeal to international organizations, “as freedom of religion is universal and affects global principles.”
“We will continue to serve in our parishes. If we entrust ourselves to the Lord and seek God’s will in our lives without grumbling and despondency, the Lord won’t leave us without His help and will help us to endure all trials,” the statement concludes.
On the other hand, the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s structure in Estonia has, rather than supporting persecuted Orthodox Christians, come out in support of the ban, and yesterday, the Finnish Orthodox Church, also under Constantinople, did the same.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
