Estonian Parliament Bans Estonian Orthodox Church
The Third Reading of the amendments to the Churches and Parishes Act, also known as the Bill on the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (ECC) passed by a vote of 60-17.
Tallinn, Estonia—The new legal amendments in Estonia prohibit churches, monasteries, or parishes from being subordinate to or connected with foreign religious authorities deemed threats to national security, public order, or the constitutional system.
Although the Estonian Parliament previously labeled the Moscow Patriarchate a supporter of military aggression, it hasn’t demonstrated that the Church poses a threat. In fact, officials have acknowledged the Church has engaged in no dangerous activity. The Estonian Orthodox Church operates independently from Tallinn, with only a non-binding canonical link to Moscow—something the state has struggled to address properly.
Just as in Ukraine, the Patriarchate of Constantinople illicitly invaded the canonical territory of the Estonian Church, creating a parallel jurisdiction from previously defrocked clerics. This "Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC)" is directly subordinate to Constantinople—raising the obvious question of why they are not being affected by this new law in the way the canonical Church is.
Unfortunately, we already know the answer to that question.
The hypocrisy of the Estonian government and broader Western world can be seen in the description of the two churches on Wikipedia. Wikipedia called the EAOC the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church; but called the ECC/EOC the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. No mention of Constantinople in the name of the former, though it states that the EAOC is directly under Constantinople. More interesting is how it describes the election of both churches' primates: "The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) is a semi-autonomous church in the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow whose primate is appointed by the Holy Synod of the latter." ... "The EAOC's primate is confirmed by the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.."
For clarification, the EOC has over 170,000 members, while Constantinople's EAOC has around 20,000.
Compliance with the law would require a fundamental overhaul of the Church's statutes and a complete canonical break with Moscow. The Estonian Church has already revised its statutes to emphasize independence, but these changes were initially rejected by the registration commission and only accepted after a court ruling.
If the Church does not meet the law’s requirements within two months, the Interior Minister may request the courts to adjudicate ecclesiastical matters and potentially dissolve Church entities.
An explanatory note claims Estonia upholds religious freedom, but former Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets has stated that, upon liquidation, the state will claim the Church’s property.
In response, the Estonian Church issued a statement calling the law a targeted attack on itself and the Pükhtitsa Monastery, despite its longstanding law-abiding conduct and social contributions. It decries an ongoing media campaign against it and plans to appeal to both Estonian authorities and international organizations, citing violations of religious freedom.
The Church vows to continue its mission, expressing faith that God will sustain it through these challenges.
Meanwhile, the Estonian branch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, along with the Finnish Orthodox Church, has expressed support for the ban rather than defending the affected Orthodox community—a move all too typical for Constantinople's pawns in its war on the Slavic Orthodox world.
Europe, once the unconquerable bastion of Christendom; Europe, where the right of conscious was once proclaimed inalienable, inviolable, has now become the great persecutor of Christ— Antichrist.
