Estonia orders Moscow Patriarchate churches to sever ties with Kirill

Estonia’s Interior Ministry has given churches under the Moscow Patriarchate six months to appoint a new metropolitan and cut ties with Patriarch Kirill, public broadcaster ERR reported on Tuesday.

Amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act took effect on June 27, prohibiting Estonian religious communities from being subordinate to foreign religious leaders deemed a threat to national security.

The ministry’s general secretary, Tarmo Miilits, sent a letter to all religious associations, stating they have until December 28 to align their activities with the new requirements. Failure to comply could lead the interior minister to initiate forced liquidation.

While the letter applied to all religious groups, the primary focus is on the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Its bishop, Daniel, responded in writing that the church will use the next six months to clarify how the new law will be implemented before deciding on further steps.

Adviser Ilmo Au from the Interior Ministry said the church must first appoint a new metropolitan, as no clergyman or board member can be someone whose residence permit was not extended in the past decade due to national security concerns.

The church’s former leader, Metropolitan Eugenius (Valery Reshetnikov), was required to leave Estonia in early 2024 after the security police determined his activities posed a threat to national security.