"The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ decision was a reaction to what the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ said," – Ringo Ringvee on the situation with the EOC MP

On April 9, 2025, Estonia will hold the third reading of a bill proposing amendments to the Law on Churches and Parishes. If the new version of the law is adopted, the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) will have two months to bring its activities in line with the new requirements. Ringo Ringvee, advisor to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, explained why negotiations with the church did not yield results and what consequences await the EOC MP if it refuses to comply with the law. The interview was published on Postimees.ee.

«We have repeatedly reached decisions and agreements at the negotiation table, but often, after the meeting ended, it turned out that what we had agreed upon was not actually the case,» Ringvee noted. He also emphasized that after each meeting, contradictory press releases were published by the church: «After meetings between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the EOC MP, press releases were issued that contradicted each other.»

Ringvee explained that the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ decision was a reaction to statements made by Patriarch Kirill and messages from the ROC: «We noticed that there were no proactive statements from the EOC MP. Everything they said boiled down to the church being ‘for peace’ and so on. But these statements only appeared when the state asked about the church’s position regarding Patriarch Kirill’s remarks.»

«If the church refuses to comply with the new law, this could lead to legal proceedings and even the termination of its activities,» Ringvee emphasized, adding: «If it comes to the forced cessation of activities or if these parishes separate from the EOC MP, these agreements will need to be reviewed and new ones signed.»

It should be recalled that on March 26, 2025, amendments to Estonia’s Law on Churches and Parishes, aimed at restricting the activities of the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (formerly EOC MP), passed their second reading in the country’s Parliament. The final discussion of the amendments and the third reading are scheduled in the Riigikogu on April 9.