The Estonian Ministry of Interior and Estonian Orthodox Church (EOC) have reached an agreement to reduce and ultimately eliminate the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate over the latter, Orthodox Times reports.
On July 30, key representatives, including Raivo Küüt from the Ministry of Interior, Bishop Daniel Lepisk of the EOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, and lawyer Steven Evestus , convened to review progress and consider future actions.
The Ministry of Interior reaffirmed the government’s stance that the EOC completely separate from the Moscow Patriarchate, both canonically and legally. Küüt emphasized that “the government shall protect the population of Estonia from the influence of a hostile regime.” However, he assured that the government would collaborate with all parties involved and has no plans to shut down any churches under the EOC’s jurisdiction or hinder parish operations.
“Religious freedom is guaranteed and services will continue,” Küüt confirmed.
The EOC outlined its vision for the disconnection process, proposing a two-stage plan. The first stage involves amending the current statutes to remove references to the Russian Orthodox Church, retaining only a reference to the 1993 Tomos.
The EOC provided details on the required changes to statues and decision-making routine.
They also informed about the Synod’s appeal to the Moscow Patriarchate to abolish the stauropegic status of the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Discussions also covered the Pühtitsa Dormition Convent’s potential disconnection. The Ministry of Interior expressed willingness to address the Convent’s unique status and conditions separately.
Evestus emphasized the importance of both the EOC and the Convent in negotiations, aiming for solutions based on legal and ecclesiastical principles. He stressed that the goal is to uphold religious freedom and ensure the EOC congregation’s tranquility without creating a sense of pressure or exclusion.
The next steps include the EOC submitting specific proposals for amending the statutes and a detailed implementation timetable to the Ministry of Interior by the end of August. The Ministry will respond with its position by the end of September. Additionally, the EOC will schedule a meeting with representatives of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church to begin preparing a roadmap for the second stage of the separation process.
