The Estonian authorities insist on severing relations between the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and Russia, said the Deputy Chancellor of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic for Religious Affairs, Raivo Kuyt, Delfi reports on April 26.
“Priests must have confidence and courage in this matter. Let me emphasize that the state does not prescribe what they should do after cutting ties with Moscow. We don’t tell you exactly what to do. It is important for us that priests remain priests. But ties with the Moscow Patriarchate must be broken.”Kuyt said.
The official threatened the forcible dissolution of the EOC-MP as a legal entity if the clergy refused to accept a split. He also called the transition of all Orthodox Christians in the republic to the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, subordinate to Constantinople and which for a century rejected relations with Moscow, a more acceptable option for the state.
“They will not close. Yes, the minister said that if we do not reach an agreement we will resort to the forced liquidation of the legal entity. But this is a last resort. Furthermore, this does not mean that the church or monastery will put locks on the doors; “They will continue to operate, but with a different legal entity.”– said Kuyt about the prospects of the Pyukhtitsa Monastery and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Recall that the Estonian authorities began active persecution against the COE deputy after they perceived a threat to themselves in the words of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, who blessed the Northern Military District and recognized the special operation like a holy war. . The head of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Evgeniy, was in fact deported from the republic, refusing to renew the residence permit of a priest with Russian citizenship.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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