TALLINN, Estonia | Estonia has given the country’s Moscow-linked Orthodox Church six months to appoint a new metropolitan and end Moscow’s administrative control, warning that it could otherwise face forced dissolution.
According to Estonian public broadcaster ERR, the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church has until December 28 to remove from its statutes provisions that preserve Moscow’s administrative control.
The deadline follows a new law barring religious organizations in Estonia from depending on leadership based in a state considered a threat to national security.
A new metropolitan
The first issue is the replacement of Metropolitan Eugene, whose secular name is Valery Reshetnikov. He was required to leave Estonia in early 2024 after the authorities refused to renew his residence permit on national security grounds.
The Interior Ministry considers that Eugene can no longer serve as a cleric or remain in the Church’s administration. Bishop Daniel told ERR that the Church would first examine how the law will be applied before deciding how to organize church life going forward.
The 1993 Tomos
The more difficult issue concerns the Tomos issued by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow in 1993, which defines the Church’s current status.
Under the Tomos and the Church’s statutes, the Patriarch of Moscow approves key decisions by the general assembly, including the budget, the annual report and the election of members of the administration. The Church’s leader is also nominated and confirmed by Moscow.
Priit Rohtmets, professor of Church History at the University of Tartu, believes the statutes could be changed without abandoning the Tomos. The courts may then have to decide whether the Church has truly severed its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Two Orthodox Churches
Estonia is also home to the autonomous Orthodox Church of Estonia under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, led by Metropolitan Stephanos of Tallinn and All Estonia.
The two Churches operate side by side as a result of the longstanding conflict between Moscow and Constantinople over jurisdiction in Estonia.
In 1996, the Ecumenical Patriarchate reinstated the 1923 Tomos, once again recognizing the autonomous Estonian Church under its jurisdiction. Moscow responded by temporarily breaking Eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
A later agreement in Zurich allowed both jurisdictions to continue operating, but did not settle the canonical dispute.
Estonia’s latest move has brought the issue back to the fore, this time as a matter of national security.
