The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church expressed its gratitude to the President of Estonia, Alar Karis, who had not previously signed a bill actually aimed at banning its activities in the country.
"The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church expresses its sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis, for his principled position regarding the amendment of the Law on Churches and Parishes, which was returned to the Riigikogu [Parliament of Estonia – ed.] without a proclamation," the Estonian Church said in a press release.
The text notes that, in the opinion of the head of Estonia, "the adopted law does not comply with the constitution, since the restriction of freedom of religion and freedom of association created by it is not proportional."
For its part, the Estonian Church recalled that it has always advocated "a constructive dialogue between religious organizations and the state based on mutual respect, legality and democratic principles."
"Believing in God, we also respect the law and justice, and we are aware of the right and opportunity to defend our constitutional rights, which we had to involve lawyers to protect both locally and internationally. Today's decision by the president has strengthened our confidence that we are on the right track," the message says.
The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church also expressed the hope that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia would give it the opportunity "to continue negotiations based on the above principles, which will allow the Riigikogu and the entire public to make sure that the canonical connection of the EHRC with its Mother Church does not pose a threat to the security of the state, and allegations of such a threat from the EHRC are unfounded."
"Throughout its history in Estonia, our Church has demonstrated loyalty to the Estonian state and respect for the people by upholding democratic values, of which freedom of religion is one of the most important," the authors of the message added.
The Estonian Church thanked the clergy and parishioners for their "unshakeable faith, patience and trust," as well as all those "who dared to openly defend ... the Church, despite the information campaign launched against it."
"Moral support and prayers give us strength to defend church truth and constitutional rights," the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church said in a statement.