Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem met with the delegation of the Estonian Orthodox Church

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine received on September 19, 2025 a delegation from the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church, headed by Bishop Lazar of Narva and Prychud. During the meeting, the parties discussed topical issues on the pan-Orthodox agenda, and also considered in detail the situation of the Christian population in the Middle East and the Baltics. This is reported by Patriarchy.ru.

The delegation that arrived from Estonia, in addition to Bishop Lazar, included pilgrims of the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem: the head of the mission Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev) and his deputy Hegumen Nikon (Golovko). The conversation, which took place at the patriarchal residence, was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere, which contributed to a fruitful exchange of views between the hierarchs.

The key topics of the dialog were issues concerning the unity and interaction of the Local Orthodox Churches in the modern world. Special attention was paid to the difficult situation of Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and Baltic regions, which requires constant attention and support from the world Orthodox community. The participants of the meeting expressed their hope for further strengthening of inter-church relations and joint solution of the current challenges facing Orthodoxy.

Recall that recently the Estonian Parliament for the third time approved in the original version of the Law on Churches and Parishes, aimed at banning the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church. Sixty-three MPs voted in favor of adopting the document without amendments, while 15 voted against. The law will now be sent to the State Court to assess its compliance with the Constitution.