Tallinn, April 25, 2025
President Alar Karis. Photo: err.ee.
Estonian President Alar Karis declined yesterday to promulgate amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act that would effectively ban the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church and Holy Dormition-Pükhtitsa Monastery, saying they are unconstitutional.
The head of state sent the relevant act back to the Riigikogu, saying it “disproportionately restrict[s] freedom of association and religion,” there violating several articles of the constitution, reports news.err.ee.
The president believes that “The Moscow Patriarchate undermines the sovereignty and democracy of states,” but that the act, as currently worded, could do more harm than good. The amendments were adopted in their third reading by the Riigikogu earlier this month, prompting appeals by the Church and monastery to the president and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Recall that the Parliament has identified the Church as a security threat, because it is a self-governing body within the Moscow Patriarchate, though authorities are unable to point to any concrete problems.
President Karis also questioned whether a threat associated with a foreign person (Estonian politicians have cited concerns about statements from Patriarch Kirill, in particular) can be legitimately attributed to an entire organization operating within Estonia, and what such a cross-border ban would do to freedom of speech.
He also said the amendments lack clarity in its legal definitions, which would have a “chilling effect inappropriate for a democratic society.”
“Since the constitution allows national security and public order to be protected through more targeted and precisely defined measures, such bans are also not necessary,” the president said.
At the same time, Interior Minister Igor Taro emphasizes that this is not the end for the bill, but that the issue will be taken up for further discussion in the Parliament.
The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church posted a message of gratitude to President Karis and all those who spoke out in defense of the Church, saying it hopes it will have the opportunity to speak with members of Parliament to further demonstrate that it poses no security threat to the state.
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