The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOCM) has been granted the right to be called the Estonian Orthodox Church in court. The registration of this name was initially denied and was considered misleading, as this church does not encompass all Orthodox Christians in Estonia.
On March 24, the Tartu District Court upheld the appeal filed on behalf of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and according to the court’s decision, the new name is in accordance with the law and is not misleading regarding the purpose, scope or legal form of the church. This court decision is final and has entered into force.
Estonian Minister of the Interior Lauri Laenemetz initiated a government bill in 2024 that would ban the activities of parishes in Estonia affiliated with organizations that support Russian aggression. According to the minister, these legislative changes are necessary because the Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, is the most important instrument of influence of Russia and the Kremlin in Estonia.
Taras Antoshevsky from the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU) spoke with Ringo Ringvi, an advisor at the Department of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia, about the situation of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Estonia.
