The board of the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, recently declared Russia's invasion of Ukraine a "holy war," one which concerns all Russians.

A document stating that Ukrainian territory should be annexed to the Russian Federation has also been adopted.

Läänemets told ETV news show "Aktuaalne kamera" (AK): "We will hear their assessment of Kirill's positions and how they (ie. the MPEÕK – ed.) intend to organize their work here going forward, in light of the Moscow Patriarchate's blatantly war-inciting edicts."

The minister called Patriarch Kirill's statement "unacceptable," hence summoning representatives of the MPEÕK leadership in Estonia.

"Patriarch Kirill also stated that the war against Ukraine constitutes a war against the entire West, including us [in Estonia]," he said.

"This indicates that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is not merely a geopolitical war, but a war of value systems. It is inconceivable that a religious leader of any Western country would advocate for a war of this kind in the 21st century. We have called representatives of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Ministry of the Interior by tomorrow (ie. Tuesday – ed.) morning," the minister went on.

"Inciting hatred and supporting Russia in its aggressive war against Ukraine is prohibited in Estonia. I want to know the MPEÕK's representatives' stance and planned future actions on Patriarch Kirill's latest statement. This also is not just a statement; the principle was also incorporated into a resolution adopted at the end of last week's World Russian People's Council conference, whose content is published on the Moscow Patriarchate website. It is inconceivable that the MPEÕK, while operating in Estonia, could in any way guide its activities based on teachings and visions like these," Läänemets said.

He noted the MPEÕK has over 100,000 supporters in Estonia.

While leaders in Estonia have "repeatedly had to distance themselves from the statements of the Moscow Patriarchate and its supreme religious leader" on Ukraine, "Unfortunately, we have seen the statements from the Moscow Patriarchate become only more egregious over time," the minister added.

The head of the MPEÕK, Metropolitan Eugene, was expelled from Estonia in February after his residence permit had expired and was not renewed.

The MPEÕK noted on its website that Metropolitan Eugene has not taken part in World Russian People's Council meetings for at least the past six years, and did not attend the recent meeting. He is also not a member of that organization's board.

MPEÕK bishop: We will continue our activities in our own way

MPEÕK Bishop Daniel, based in Tartu, said the document was adopted at a Russian people's council, meaning it is not binding on his church.

This means, he said, "we don't even need to adopt any special position."

"Since it is not a church organization, and we have not directly received any letter from this organization, we will continue our activities as we have been doing," Daniel told Monday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK).

"At the moment our congregations have many people from Ukraine, including refugees. If we were to preach any political agenda at our churches, especially in drawing attention to one political side or another, we would immediately start to get some problems in the church," Bishop Daniel added.

Former ISS chief: Vigilance is necessary

Arnold Sinisalu, the former director general of the Internal Security Service (ISS), said of the offending document that it is hard to determine if its content may become liturgical.

In any case, vigilance was needed, he said.

"In a free country, this is not something the state should deal with. A situation where we would staff all congregations and see what was being talked about there probably wouldn't be rational, though vigilance is nonetheless required," Sinisalu added.

Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) said clearly the MPEÕK has a subordinate relationship with the Moscow Patriarchate.

"To say that there is no connection with the Moscow Patriarchate and Patriarch Kirill is untenable," Hussar told AK.

"This leads me more and more to the thought that a decision made in 2002 to register the MPEÕK in Estonia and to enter into long-term lease agreements for church buildings with this organization was a mistake," he went on.

The MPEÕK is wholly distinct from the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAÕK), an Orthodox church under the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. It has a bishop of Narva ja Peipsiveere (Laatsarus) and also of Maardu, near Tallinn)(Bishop Sergius).

The World Russian People's Council is as its name might suggest a Russo-centric body, and was founded in 1993. It is headed by Patriarch Kirill.

Council sessions' participants include governmental representatives, leaders of public associations, clergy members of the major religions in Russia, science and culture figures, and delegates of "Russian communities from the near and far abroad."

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!