The law mainly concerns the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church, formerly the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK), which is required to fully sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, but has not yet done so. "AK. Nädal" looked into how long that might take.

Bishop Daniel, the senior church member in Estonia since Metropolitan Eugene's residence permit was not renewed, said it's now up to the head of state to decide on the amendments. Meanwhile, nuns at the Pühtitsa Convent in Kuremäe, Ida-Viru County, have appealed to the president; Bishop Daniel also wants the law not to be promulgated.

If the president gives assent and the amendments take effect, the Orthodox Church in Estonia must choose a new full leader. Metropolitan Eugene still heads the church remotely and online.

Bishop Daniel says the matter is still with the courts, and a final decision hasn't been made. He hasn't ruled out amending the church's statutes and said that could be discussed. However, he is in no hurry to cut ties with the Moscow Patriarchate or Patriarch Kirill.

He said: "They demand steps from us, but our understanding is that all these steps would mean violating certain norms."

"That's why I say, 'yes, it's a big question — what kind of a solution and how to find it. When they say 'renounce the patriarch,' that in effect means leaving your own church."

The bishop said the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church cannot violate canon law. But Estonian secular law says a religious organization must not be led by or affiliated with a foreign church or group that threatens national security or supports aggression and violence.

Harrys Puusepp, head of the Internal Security Service (ISS), said ending the Moscow chain of command is essential for national security, given Patriarch Kirill's statements.

"Kirill has called for a holy war. If we saw similar subordination involving another organization tied to an autocratic regime, I'm sure we'd interpret it the same way," Puusepp said.

If the law comes into force, the church will have two months to sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. However, church matters often move slowly, and they likely won't be counting the days, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

Ringo Ringvee, religious affairs adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, said the key is to get the process started, adding: "If the law is passed, our assumption is that it will be followed."

"The two months are meant for clarifying the truth, whether those steps get taken, whether the church and convent will sever ties with Moscow. We expect that these steps would be taken."

Ringvee added that the Estonian Orthodox Church needs both the will and courage to do this. The Orthodox world is like a family, where relations between patriarchates and churches can get tense, he said.

The other main Orthodox church in Estonia is the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAÕK), which falls under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The EAÕK proposed a solution: the MPEÕK could switch patriarchates by joining it as a vicariate.

EAÕK senior priest Mattias Palli said in this proposed vicariate: "The current Russian congregations and monasteries would retain their customs, language, calendar, and internal life unchanged, but they would have spiritual or canonical ties with the full church, through our churches' headship."

However, Bishop Daniel said this would lower his church's status by two levels.

"This isn't even about joining at a diocesan level — we're talking about a vicariate. A vicar-bishop isn't independent. A vicar-bishop is an assistant to the ruling bishop, acting within boundaries set by that bishop," Daniel said.

To an untrained eye, it might not be immediately clear whether an Orthodox church in Estonia belongs to the Constantinople or Moscow Patriarchate.
There are minor liturgical differences, and also variations in iconography and language use.

Relations between the two churches haven't been very warm since the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church restored its autonomy in 1996.

The church under the Constantinople Patriarchate inherited church property as a legal successor.

The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate remained unregistered until 2002; it held processions and protests, and the issue was partly resolved through church building leases.

Interior Minister Igor Taro said the presence of two Orthodox churches in Estonia came from the Soviet occupation and was a historical mistake.

Could this have been avoided in the 1990s? Ringo Ringvee said it was a different time.

"That was a time when people expected Russia to become a democracy, for relations to improve; trade to develop. There was a certain idealism with regard to Russia," he said.

The law doesn't name any specific church. While currently only the MPEÕK is affected, the possibility of Islamic extremists emerging in Estonia is not impossible, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

"There have been such attempts, and so far we've managed to prevent them from developing further here," Puusepp said.

The Council of Churches (Kirikute nõukogu), the main ecumenical umbrella for major churches in Estonia, made several proposals during the bill's drafting, and these were considered.

"The topic is sensitive," said Bishop Marko Tiitus of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK).

"Some of the known fears may be understandable, but, being involved in the matter, I can confidently say there's no reason today to claim that the Estonian state is persecuting Christians or churches," Bishop Tiitus went on.

The EELK bishop said tensions around the law could ease if the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church made a clear signal that it is distancing itself from the Moscow Patriarchate.

But how long it will take to resolve all Orthodox-related tensions in Estonia is harder to say.

Father Palli said frankly: "This won't be resolved quickly, while for our churches to truly unite in substance, it will take decades."

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