"As a public authority, we are deeply concerned about the directives and appeals of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate, in his speech, as they may also pose a threat to the internal security and safety of our country," Tarmo Miilits, secretary general of the Ministry of the Interior, wrote in a letter to the MPEÕK bishops.

"For example, according to the Patriarch's speech, the capitals of the republics that were once part of the Soviet Union are still for him "important spiritual centers of united Holy Russia". It is our firm belief that Tallinn is certainly not that!" he emphasized.

Miilits highlighted that Kirill called the military attack on Ukraine – an independent country – a domestic conflict in the territories of so-called Holy Russia. He also praised and glorified President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and thanked the clergy who maintained "canonical unity" with "Holy Russia".

"We disapprove of such imperialistic statements by the head of the Moscow Patriarchate, which include calls for disobedience to host countries' policies and the use of intimidation tactics to exclude compromises on the ground. We treat such calls as the spread of extremism, which is a threat to our internal security and security," the secretary general said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said Kirill's speech sounded like glorification of the territory of the so-called Holy Russia. It was delivered by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, not a private person, it stressed.

"Dangerous guidelines of this kind, as presented by a church hierarchy, also require an explicit position from the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) from the point of view of the security of Estonian Orthodox believers and the general public, including the separation from the Moscow Patriarch's subordination.," the secretary general wrote.

Miilits also referred to a letter from MPEÕK's Bishop Daniel in which he said the connection of his church with the Moscow Patriarchate can no longer be considered a danger to the security of the state.

"As it is clear from the statements and appeals of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, such a perception of the impact of administrative and canonical connections by the local church leadership is false and misleading to the public and especially to the clergy and faithful of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate," the secretary general wrote.

The Ministry of the Interior has now asked MPEÕK for a "clear, unequivocal position and assessment" of the speech.

"And we ask that it be submitted in the context of the appeal filed by the MPEÕK to the Tallinn Administrative Court in connection with the statement of the Riigikogu of 06.05.2024 on "declaring the Moscow Patriarchate an institution supporting the military aggression of the Russian Federation," it said.

Earlier this month, MPEÕK and the Pühtitsa Convent filed separate complaints with the Tallinn Administrative Court. The complaints seek to address the legal consequences arising from the Riigikogu's declaration that the Moscow Patriarchate supports the Russian Federation's military aggression.

They also want to remove the organizations from the list of entities supporting military aggression.

--

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