The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (EOCC) has appealed for assistance from the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church as it faces the prospect of a ban by the Estonian government. The Pühtitsa Convent, also faces a ban.
The EOCC, which is the largest church in Estonia, has already asked the US government to place Estonia on a watch list for violators of religious freedom.
The Estonian government claims that the EOCC is a puppet of Russia due to its canonical relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church, which is a supporter of Russia’s current actions in Ukraine. Ministers have already threatened to deport EOCC clergy members.
The EOCC denies it is a Russian pawn, noting “the Church’s self-governing status in Estonia, its adherence to Estonian laws and denunciations of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the Convent’s separation from the secular world, which maintains its apolitical nature”.
The church has warned that it faces an “existential threat” and that should a ban be passed into law it would leave over 180,000 Christians in Estonia without a “spiritual foundation and religious home”.
In a letter to the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches, the EOCC said, “Despite full compliance with Estonian law and clear opposition to violence — with the Church condemning Russia’s invasion and the Convent affirming its apolitical mission and respect for Estonia’s independence — these peaceful religious communities now face dissolution under newly adopted legislation, which bans affiliation with any foreign spiritual center deemed a “security threat.”
“The Estonian Parliament has already designated the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) as such, and the Church and Convent face termination solely for maintaining their canonical ties, not for any unlawful conduct."
The EOCC said that it appealed in “a spirit of unity and faith… for any support, solidarity, or engagement you might consider offering to help uphold religious liberty in Estonia at this critical time.”
