Religious exit: Estonia passed a law on severing church ties with Moscow

Estonian President Alar Karis is highly likely to sign amendments to the law on churches and parishes, adopted in the third reading on April 9, and events for the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (EOCC) will develop according to an unfavorable scenario, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. If the church refuses to comply with the requirements of the law, this may lead to a ban on its activities and the termination of lease agreements for churches. Analysts are confident: She should try to defend her rights in international organizations, but there are no guarantees that complaints will be heard, given the anti-Russian sentiments in the West. About the increased pressure on the Orthodox Church in Estonia and the reasons why it is being hushed up in the world — in the Izvestia article.

Amendments to the law on the Church have been approved in Estonia

On April 9, Estonia adopted amendments to the law on churches and parishes in the third reading. 60 members of parliament voted for the new version of the document, 13 voted against, and there were no abstentions. According to the amendments, the EHRC must completely sever canonical ties with the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. If the law is signed by the President, religious associations will have two months to bring their charters, board members, and activities in line with the updated legislation.

Due to its canonical connection with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church remains in the eyes of the authorities the "most important instrument" of the Kremlin's influence in Estonia. Meanwhile, according to the hierarchs of the EPCC, the church cannot abandon its canonical connection with the religious center in the Russian Federation, as this is part of its faith.

In order to improve its legal position, the church has already changed its name. Until March 31, it was called the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP). According to the idea of the hierarchs, the new name "Estonian Orthodox Christian Church" makes it possible to emphasize its self-governing status and independence "in matters of church administration, church-economic, church-educational and church-civil affairs."

However, this did not help protect against attacks. And the President of Estonia is likely to sign amendments to the law on churches and parishes, since this is a consolidated decision by the Estonian authorities, according to Vladimir Illashevich, an international political scientist and writer living in this country.

— These amendments are a complete violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. This decision is on a par with the condemnation of Marine Le Pen in France, and with the cancellation of the election results in Romania. There are obvious parallels with Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Totalitarian tendencies in Estonia are growing and will continue to grow," he is confident.

The expert, who was the official historiographer of the EPC from 1995 to 2017, recalled that Orthodoxy has been one of the historical religions of the Baltic States since the 10th century, so the pressure on the church looks all the more outrageous.

In his opinion, there will be no reaction from the international community to what is happening in Estonia, as "totalitarian tendencies" are also increasing in Europe.

— Even the EPCC's appeal to the European Court of Human Rights does not guarantee that her rights will be protected. Moreover, before her case reaches the ECHR, the national judicial authorities must make their decision and, consequently, the litigation will take at least two years from the representatives of the church, he added.

Meanwhile, the new law is not the only lever of pressure that Estonia is going to use to put pressure on the EPCC. On April 9, President Alar Karis approved amendments to the constitution that disenfranchise citizens of third countries, including Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. At the same time, according to the current law on churches and parishes, a person who does not have the right to vote in local elections cannot be a clergyman.

At the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Bishop Daniel (Lepisk) of Tartu called the actions of the Estonian authorities contrary to international law and leading to "the formation of hatred in society and human rights violations." In turn, the UN Human Rights Office told Izvestia that it was aware of the amendments proposed by Estonian lawmakers and was also aware of the problems associated with them.

The struggle of the EPCC for existence

The situation with the EPCC may well begin to develop according to the Ukrainian scenario, Vladislav Petrushko, Doctor of Church history and professor at the Moscow State Pedagogical University, tells Izvestia.

— Decisions on Ukraine and Estonia obviously come from the same center, for which the fight against the Moscow Patriarchate is part of the fight against Russia. Of course, there are national specifics. If in Ukraine they simply practice raiding churches, then in Estonia everything happens more slowly and with a claim to legality. It cannot be ruled out that the activities of the EPCC will be decided to ban. However, maybe the Estonian authorities will have enough common sense, and they will take into account how Washington's policy towards Moscow is changing," he added.

In his opinion, the authorities can only regard the renaming of the church as a sign of weakness and as an invitation to further pressure on the church. This was perfectly demonstrated by the Theophany Cathedral in Ukraine in May 2022, at which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) declared "full independence and independence" in relation to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

— Such a deflection in front of the authorities may have the opposite effect. But on the example of Ukraine, we also see that believers sometimes manage to defend their churches from capture by radicals. Of course, it's easy to reason while in Russia, but on the spot people often find themselves at a loss and don't know what to do, and it's not always right to make claims against them. They're doing what they can," he added.

Recall that despite the change in the charter, representatives of the UOC remain the object of constant attacks and persecution by the Ukrainian authorities, and churches are systematically seized by schismatics from the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). At the end of March, the Ukrainian authorities decided to conduct an "inventory and determine the historical and scientific value" of the holy relics stored in the caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Locks were changed at the entrances and a cordon was set up. From now on, neither believers nor the brethren of the monastery can get there. Robert Amsterdam, an international human rights defender and advocate of the UOC, called the actions of the authorities "complete blasphemy"

Given that the temples are leased from the EPCC, they may simply be withdrawn, Vladislav Petrushko admits.

— The fate of the Pyukhtitsky Assumption Stavropol Convent, which is subordinate not to the EPCC, but directly to Patriarch Kirill, is also unclear. With it, they can go to drastic measures and just hang up the lock. Another question is that Estonians are a practical people, and they hardly want to incur expenses for the maintenance of churches. For example, the Ukrainian schismatics are unable to maintain the churches they have seized," the expert argues.

Whatever the decision of the authorities, the ECOC should try to defend its rights in the European Court of Human Rights. "He sometimes makes fair decisions and it's worth trying, even though the EU is now more opposed to Russia than the United States," he concluded.