In a written statement to ERR, Metropolitan Stephanos of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAÕK) emphasized that the church received its tomos, the foundational document for its operations, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1923. He noted that in 1945, the Moscow Patriarchate dissolved the Estonian Orthodox Church and began operating in Estonia without canonical legitimacy. In 1993, after maintaining continuity in exile during the years of occupation, the EAÕK resumed its activities within the territory of the Republic of Estonia. In 1996, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew restored the 1923 tomos. The EAÕK uses the name "Estonian Orthodox Church" in English, French and Greek based on its historical continuity, Stephanos stressed.

The metropolitan explained that when Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremias II granted autocephaly to the Moscow Church in 1590, Constantinople intended to include the Baltic states under Moscow's jurisdiction. However, Moscow declined, arguing that there were no Russian Orthodox believers in the Baltic region.

"In 1710, Tsar Peter I sought permission from Constantinople to extend the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church to Estonia and Livonia, but the then-Patriarch Athanasius V refused, stating that the Baltic states historically and canonically belonged to Constantinople's jurisdiction," Stephanos continued. "In 1978, then-Moscow Patriarch Alexy II made a similar request, but Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios I again refused, emphasizing that all Estonian Orthodox believers worldwide fall under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. However, Constantinople did agree that the Russian Orthodox Church could offer spiritual support to Orthodox believers in occupied Estonia, but nothing more," explained the EAÕK Metropolitan.

Stephanos also mentioned that he had made a brotherly offer to the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) to restore a canonically legitimate situation and resolve the current issue by creating a Russian vicariate within the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.

"To date, the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church has not received a response from the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate," the Metropolitan noted.

On Tuesday, the MPEÕK Synod amended the church's statutes, removing references to the Moscow Patriarchate. The council approved a new version of the church statutes, affirming the church's administrative, economic and educational independence, as well as its independence in civil matters. The church also adopted "Estonian Orthodox Church" as its new name.

--

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