The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia is developing a draft law that could lead to the complete elimination of the activities of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) associated with the Russian Orthodox Church. This is reported by ERR.
According to media reports, the country's parliament plans to consider the bill as early as April this year.
Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Leaenemetz, in a statement on October 24, confirmed the authorities' intention to amend the law on churches and parishes. These changes will officially ban the work of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of the republic.
The Estonian authorities continue to put pressure on the EPC MP, demanding to sever canonical ties with Moscow. In August last year, the church was forced, under threat of closure, to change the charter and remove the mention of the Moscow Patriarchate. However, even such concessions could not stop the offensive of the Estonian authorities.
Earlier it became known that the Pyukhtitsky Assumption Stavropol Convent in Estonia categorically refused to leave the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, citing legal and canonical restrictions.