Estonian Prime Minister approves bill to ban Estonian Orthodox Church

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal commented on the possible ban of the Estonian Orthodox Church in the country by adopting a law. Mihal believes that the law is justified because the Estonian Church is led by people “close to the Russian president.” He said this in a comment to ERR.EE.

«Freedom of religion must be guaranteed, but, for example, people close to the Russian president cannot lead the church in Estonia. This is understandable for an independent country, and public discussion is ongoing, including with churches. The parliament will now deal with this topic. It is important that freedom of religion is guaranteed and that churches cannot be controlled by hostile forces,» — Kristen said.

Minister of the Interior, Social Democrat Lauri Laenemets added that if, after the adoption of the law, the Estonian Orthodox Church does not change its charter and does not separate itself from Patriarch Kirill, Estonia will be able to ban the activities of the religious organization in the country in court. However, this will create an unusual situation — there will be no church as a single organization, but churches and parishes will continue to operate in the usual format.

As reported, on January 23, 2025, the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) approved for consideration a bill submitted by Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets, which provides for amendments to the Law on Churches and Parishes. This law is intended to restrict the activities of the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church in view of its ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.