The minister also wants the church to recognize Moscow Patriarch Kirill's actions and statements as heretical, particularly in relation to his deeming the Russian invasion of Ukraine a "holy war."

Speaking to ERR, Minister Läänemets stressed that the goal is not to forcibly dissolve religious associations subordinate to Moscow, but to terminate that subordination, instead.

"The goal is to end both the legal and religious subordination to Moscow," he said.

The minister was referring to the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK), ie. the Russian Orthodox church in Estonia.

Läänemets noted that up to now, MPEÕK representatives have not deemed Patriarch Kirill's actions as heretical.

He said: "It seemed to me that this was somehow new information to them. I understand that bishops in the orthodox church do not typically deal with issues that are political or cross national borders."

"We asked the local church to submit to the ministry, in writing, the steps they plan to take on this, so that we can understand their intentions clearly. That way, we can assess what actions the Ministry of the Interior and the government should take next. I hope to receive these responses by the end of May, or the start of June," Läänemets went on.

Three MPEÕK bishops had last week met with ministry representatives, Läänemets added, along with Metropolitan Stephanos of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAÕK), which falls under the Constantinople Patriarchate.

Archbishop Urmas Viilma, head of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK), the largest single denomination in Estonia, facilitated that meeting, held within the framework of the Council of Churches (Eesti Kirikute Nõukogu).

At the meeting: "We clarified the security concerns, which are unacceptable to Estonia. We outlined the outcome the Estonian state is awaiting. We also listened to what the representatives of the Moscow Church had to say," Läänemets said.

"We also discussed the various decisions and rules regarding the [Russian] Orthodox Church worldwide. They have a canon which states if heresy or false teachings are present, congregations can take steps independently, and are not bound by any previous vows made," the minister continued.

Killing, rape and other atrocities, the destruction of another nation and the blessing of war or of one side in war constitute heresy as much as any more purely theological issues do, in effect.

"The logic in the religious world is quite the opposite [from what Patriarch Kirill has been advocating for], focusing on love and caring for others. What Patriarch Kirill has done today is heresy," Läänemets said.

Following this logic, the  Pühtitsa Convent in Kuremäe, Ida-Viru County, for instance, is free from the shackles of the Moscow church, the minister said.

"We will explain this to the convent, and see what they have to say," Läänemets added.

On May 6, the Riigikogu recognized the Russian Orthodox Church as an institution that supports war, specifically Russia's stalled invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, or 11th year if taking into account the annexation of Crimea and the start of the insurgency warfare in eastern Ukraine.

During a recent World Russian People's Council meeting led by Patriarch Kirill, a declaration was adopted, not only proclaiming Russia's aggression in Ukraine as a "holy war," but also declaring that the collective West has fallen into the grip of "satanism."

Metropolitan Stephanos of the EAÕK had previously stated that the very concept of a "holy war," while it might have historically been found in some Western churches, is alien to orthodoxy.

--

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