"Because our name mentions the Moscow Patriarchate, misconceptions are easily created. It is suggested that we answer directly to the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church. There have been attempts to hold us directly responsible for Patriarch Kirill's words. I would even go further and say that bishops in Russia also do not answer directly to the Moscow patriarch. He only controls the Moscow church," MPEÕK's Tartu Bishop Daniel said at a press conference held at the Church of Our Lady of Kazan in Tallinn on Tuesday.

MPEÕK has recently been asked to clarify its position regarding a statement approved at the World Russian People's Council, which has also been published on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate and which declares Russia's war on Ukraine a holy war of all Russians and states that the West has fallen to Satanism.

The church's Synod said Friday, following a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, that the recent decisions made by the World Russian People's Council, chaired by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, have no bearing on MPEÕK activities and the church in Estonia does not recognize the council's statement. Even so, Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) said Friday that MPEÕK cannot continue in the jurisdiction of Patriarch Kirill.

In his statement on Tuesday, Bishop Daniel asked for canonical and administrative ties not to be lumped in together. He said that MPEÕK does not directly answer to Moscow. "If someone thinks that orders come down from Moscow, that is not how it works. It is a canonical connection." That is why MPEÕK cannot be held responsible for the Moscow patriarch's words, the bishop emphasized.

Daniel said that the church cannot sever its canonical ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, while it already is autonomous administratively. He also said that MPEÕK has no economic ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, making neither payments nor receiving any subsidies from Moscow.

The bishop went on to say that MPEÕK has no reason to sever its ties with the Russian church because the statement approved at the World Russian People's Council is not a church decision, but simply a position taken by a civil society organization, which even clashes with official church documents.

"We published the MPEÕK Synod's position, according to which we do not agree with the ideas and positions of the World Russian People's Council's document, last week," Bishop Daniel said.

The bishop said he does not understand the pressure being put on MPEÕK and attempts to push it out of society. He gave the example of newspaper articles, saying that it was mistakenly claimed that 32 congregations have expressed support for Russia's war in Ukraine, and also pointed to the interior minister's words where he talked about white lies when commenting on the synod's statement.

The MPEÕK representative said that while he cannot speak for every congregation member, the leaders and priests of the church have refrained from supporting the war in their statements.

Bishop Daniel said that the church acts in accordance with local conditions, prays for the authorities and leaders of the country as well as its military, adding that this does not mean the church always condones everything secular authorities do.

Asked whether MPEÕK would also be willing to bless Russian weapons, Bishop Daniel said no, adding that the church can only pray for "God to watch over people who go to war. We can only bless ceremonial weapons, such as an officer's sword," he noted.

The clergyman recalled that a few years ago, MPEÕK was asked by the Estonian Ministry of Defense to pray for people who had gone to war from Estonia. "As a church, we must pray for people, and that is what we do. We don't pray for weapons or war," he assured.

Bishop Daniel also said that when it comes to war, MPEÕK emphasizes that the church's sermons must rise above political struggle, and that the church cannot engage in politics. He noted that MPEÕK churches get a lot of Ukrainian refugees who serve as a kind of litmus test for its messages. They would not like it if the church would try to vindicate Russia, while it could not throw in with the other side either.

"Church discourse must rise above political topics, we need to be united in the message of Christ," he said.

The bishop said that MPEÕK has some 150,000 members.

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