"Don't make yourself victims": the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs responded to the nuns of the Pühtõti Monastery

The Estonian Ministry of the Interior responded to the nuns of the Pühtitsa Stavropegic Convent. The ministry stated that the proposed legislation to restrict the rights of the Estonian Orthodox Church and the monastery in Pühtika is not pressure on faith, and the monastery itself should historically be part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This is reported by the Postimees publication.

“Historically, the monastery in the Republic of Estonia had a canonical connection with Constantinople. The Soviet occupation severed this connection, destroyed the local Orthodox Church, subordinated the parishes to the Moscow Patriarchate and forced the monastery to come under Moscow’s control. Thus, the canonical connection with Moscow is not the only correct or eternal one, but rather a rather new phenomenon in the context of the long history of Christianity. In 1990, as a result of a friendly compromise with the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, it was decided to leave the monastery under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate in order to maintain cooperation and peace in Estonian Orthodoxy. Let me remind you that when the current abbess Filaret arrived at the monastery in 1992, it did not even have an official legal status, which appeared only in 1997, when the monastery’s charter was registered. Thus, the transition to the management of another patriarchate is not a new process for the monastery,” — the Interior Ministry noted.

The ministry added that the teachings of the Moscow Patriarchate, to which the Pyukhtitsa Monastery belongs, do not coincide with the interests of the state, so the monastery needs to withdraw from the ROC. At the same time, the nuns were urged “not to make victims of themselves,” as no one is forcing them to renounce their faith in Christ.

“The nuns are not expected to participate in politics, but the monastery is expected to comply with the laws of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Parliament has declared the Moscow Patriarchate an organization that supports Russia’s military aggression. This is already a sufficient reason for the monastery operating in Estonia to determine its position: either to share the values of Estonia or to remain a hostage of the Kremlin and present itself as a victim. You are not victims. Think about the real victims, what they are going through today for the approval of your patriarch. No one is forcing the monastery to abandon the teachings of Christ. To say otherwise is unacceptable. The bill currently being discussed in the Parliament guarantees the monastery the freedom to practice Christianity. Unfortunately, the Moscow Patriarchate has departed from the teachings of Christ, justifying aggression, war and hostility to democratic societies, including Estonia,” — the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs added.

Earlier, we reported that the Pühtitsa Stavropegic Monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church, located in Estonia, sent a response to the government of the republic to the demand for the monastery to leave the Russian Orthodox Church and join the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The monastery pointed out that it may not share the position of the Patriarch of Moscow on political issues, but it does not have the authority to change its jurisdictional affiliation on its own.