Läänemets said that the aim of his visit is, on one hand, to assure the convent that Estonia will not be interfering in religious matters, while, on the other, he wants to explain the government's position when it comes to the convent, churches and congregations of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) answering directly to the Russian patriarch and therefore the Kremlin.

"Indeed, we will broach the subject of whether and how the convent could take steps to end its subordination to the Moscow patriarch," the minister said.

Läänemets also said that to the best of his knowledge, the ministry's delegation will be received cordially as the convent takes this matter very seriously.

"We will do everything in our power to avoid an escalation at the churches of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and we've clearly said two things by today. First, that from the point of view of national security, there can be no direct subordination to a religious leader who has suggested that the Republic of Estonia shouldn't exist, and, secondly, that the government will try to give churches maximal freedom in how to make the necessary changes. A voluntary path would be the best option, while it first requires clarification and negotiations," Läänemets said.

The interior minister noted that churches will remain open, congregations must be able to continue their activities, as will the convent. "But the challenge regarding those [the convent and church] who answer directly to [Patriarch] Kirill is that if they fail to take those decisions themselves, we will have to move for compulsory dissolution via the courts at some point. This would complicate matters, while solutions can be found," Läänemets said.

Religion makes for a delicate and difficult topic, the minister admitted. "We saw this morning that new and existing news portals are used to spread false information. We need to tell the difference between criticism and concern and conscious efforts to spread false narratives supported from Russia," Läänemets remarked.

The Pühtitsa Dormition Convent is a nunnery of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kuremäe, Estonia that directly answers to the patriarch of Moscow and all Rus. The convent was created in 1892-1895 and is home to over one hundred nuns and novices.

Ministry of the Interior officials are planning meetings with congregations of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) to try and convince them to disassociate from the Moscow Patriarchate, which the Riigikogu is preparing to declare an organization that supports terrorism.

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