Recall, earlier it became known that the Estonian government refused the Estonian Orthodox Church in the registration of the new name, which was adopted at the recent Council of the EOC, held on August 20, 2024. At that time, the EOC removed from its name the mention of belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate, following the agreements reached with the Estonian government. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic considers such steps of the Estonian Church to separate from the Russian Orthodox Church insufficient, and refused to register the new name.
The head of the Estonian Interior Ministry is preparing a bill to ban the Estonian Orthodox Church in the country
The head of the Estonian Interior Ministry has proposed to the Estonian government a bill according to which religious organizations associated with institutions supporting military aggression should not operate in the country. According to the minister, the change in the law is due to the fact that the Estonian Orthodox Church itself has not made significant steps in the issue of withdrawal from the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. The ERR.EE publication reports that.
“Today the Moscow Patriarchate is clearly another weapon in Russia’s arsenal of influence, with the help of which not only oppresses its own people, but also tries, abusing faith, to poison the souls of people in other countries. In this context, given its geographical location, historical experience and current reality, Estonia cannot accept that the Estonian Orthodox Church belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate. I realize what difficult choices both the EOC MP and many of its parishes are facing. But the church must realize that subjecting Estonian parishes and believers to a hostile foreign power and an aggressive mother church is a threat to our religious freedom and the security of Estonia,” – Lauri Läänemets, head of the Estonian Interior Ministry, said before the Riigikogu deputies.
The minister added that his proposed bill is aimed not only at the EOC, but also at other religious organizations. He argues that the state will not decide for the Estonian Orthodox Church the issues of its canonical subordination, but there is no place in Estonia for those who justify the war.
“In a nutshell, the purpose of the draft amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act is to exclude the possibility of any religious organization contrary to the generally accepted principles of international law from operating or starting to operate in the Republic of Estonia in the future. In addition, it must explicitly exclude the possibility of being a board member or minister of a church, monastery or other religious organization to any person who has proven or strong reasons to believe that the person is a member of a religious organization or minister of a religious organization whose activities are directed against the State of Estonia. By changing the law we are not deciding for the current EOC MP what its canonical affiliations or teachings will be in the future. This is an election the church can and must make on its own. We are simply establishing clear rules and expectations to which any religious association operating in Estonia must conform. These rules apply to everyone on equal terms, and within the framework of these rules the church will be able to make its future decisions,” – Läänemets explained.
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