The Republic of Estonia is steadfast in the defense of the principle of religious freedom of its residents, which is why, as a member of the government, I want all Orthodox believers in Estonia to be able to exercise their convictions and religious freedom in a manner not overshadowed by the aggressive messages and tendencies of the Moscow Patriarchate as an institution and leading organ.

I want Estonia's Orthodox faithful, irrespective of their nationality and citizenship, to feel they are free people in a free country and be protected from calls to terrorism and other hostile ideologies and the structural links that facilitate it, both fundamentally and in appearance.

Let us value freedom of religion, thought and conscience together and find solutions in mutual discussions to free local congregation members from the perverted holy war message that is being forced upon them. Let us work with MPEÕK congregations and clergy, but also legal experts and theologians, to find solutions to the problem that would be in line with the laws of the Republic of Estonia as well as the Orthodox canon.

History teaches us that such processes do not happen quickly, while it is important to plot our course and ensure the spiritual peace of congregation members and the conviction that church doors are and will remain open and religious services will continue also during this time of often long and difficult deliberations. Ministry of the Interior Undersecretary Raivo Küüt will contact MPEÕK congregations and schedule meetings starting from next week.

Ecclesiastes tells us: "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before." The first half of the sentence is like a summary of problems the Orthodox faith has had in Estonia, going back from today to the early days of the Republic of Estonia.

The Russian revolution and the birth of Estonian statehood and the War of Independence put an end to links between Orthodox faithful in Estonia and Tzarist Russia.

History tells us that the first synod of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAÕK) took place in 1919, where it was decided to be independent, in accordance with national independence, and to stay in touch with other Orthodox congregations of the orient. In 1920, Patriarch Tikhon of the Russian Orthodox Church declared EAÕK independent and the church elected Archbishop Aleksander to lead it, who turned to the patriarch of Constantinople for canonical recognition that same year.

On July 7, 1923, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Meletion IV granted EAÕK the status of an autonomous church under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

When the Soviet occupation began in 1941, a representative of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sergius, attempted to join EAÕK with the Moscow Patriarchate, but the attempt failed. Independent EAÕK was headed by Metropolitan Aleksander during the German occupation, while most Russian congregations belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate through Bishop Pavel of Narva, with permission from the German authorities.

Immediately before the second Soviet occupation, Metropolitan Aleksander left for exile, taking with him 22 members of the clergy and thousands of Orthodox believers.

After World War II, in March 1945, Archbishop Grigori arrived in Tallinn as a representative of the Moscow Patriarchate and proceeded to liquidate the EAÕK synod and replace it with a council of the diocese.

Based on the 1935 statutes, the EAÕK synod ensured the continuity of the church in exile. This made it possible to register the EAÕK statutes, based on the Churches and Congregations Act, at the Ministry of the Interior on August 11, 1993, following the restoration of independence of the Republic of Estonia. All Estonian court instances have recognized the uninterrupted continuity of EAÕK activities.

On February 20, 1996, Patriarch Bartholomeus of Constantinople restored EAÕK's tomos in full.

While the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church in the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople registered its documents based on the Churches and Congregations Act in 1993, the wish of the Orthodox church under the Moscow Patriarchate to be recognized as the legal successor of the EAÕK from the pre-Soviet period kept it from being registered until 2002 when representatives of the church and state agreed on a version of statutes that made no mention of such succession.

During all the years of the Republic of Estonia, its governments have not closed a single Orthodox church (nor any other) and the doors of the houses of God are and will remain open to the faithful.

Since the start of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly justified, condoned or even approved of the war. These messages and calls have only become more aggressive in time.

On March 27, 2024, the Russian World People's Council, chaired by Patriarch Kirill, approved a statement that speaks of a holy war against Ukraine and the Western world under the influence of "satanism" as an act of clear confrontation with the Western world.

Just as, according to the Moscow Patriarchate, Ukraine must be part of the Russkiy Mir, the entire post-Soviet area, including Estonia, belongs in the sphere of influence of the Russian Federation. This makes Estonia a hostile state that ought to disappear. The patriarch has called a holy war and requires all Orthodox believers under the Moscow Patriarchate, including in Estonia, to support it.

This directly clashes with the church's mission to preach the gospel as a message of joy and a source of peace.

A high-ranking church leader urging aggression and terrorism inevitably casts a corresponding shadow over the church they lead. The Russian Orthodox Church, irrespective of where outside Russia its congregations and other confessional structures lie.

People in Estonia who wish to live free and in peace must also be free of their religious leader, patriarch being a part of an aggressive terrorist apparatus.

Let us also look at the second half of the idea from Ecclesiastes: "...what will be has been before."

During the peaceful years of our country, before World War II, Orthodox believers could live in harmony as the flock of a single canonical church. Differences and different treatments of the Orthodox faith have always come and been orchestrated from Moscow where the dream of the Third Rome has never died and where no holds are barred in moving toward the goal.

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