Re: Orthodox Church in Estonia
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 11:43:15 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Orthodox Church in Estonia
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Irina Ljahh <[email protected]>
Re: Orthodox Church in Estonia
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>From the moderator: See MINELRES posting of 7 May 2000 "Estonian
Orthodox Christian Church May Be Dissolved" at
http://racoon.riga.lv/minelres/archive//05072000-11:06:39-19258.html
Boris
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Comments on the Situation of the Orthodox Church in Estonia
The first Christians in Estonia were Russian Orthodox, whose
missionary activities among Ancient Estonians were always peaceful.
After German and Danish crusaders conquered Estonia, the Orthodox
Church was under pressure of local governments. There were numerous
cases of persecution of Orthodox believers in the country controlled
by the Catholic Church and then by Protestant governors. After 1721
Estonia became part of the Russian Empire where the Orthodox Church
enjoyed special status. Nevertheless, freedom of its activities had
been efficiently limited by local (German) authorities that used for
this purpose an autonomous status of the territory. In the 19th
century many Estonians preferred to became Orthodox. It was a form of
protest against Lutheran foreign lords, and many expected privileges
and support from St.-Petersburg.
In 1920 Estonia gained independence. The Moscow Patriarch provided the
local Orthodox Church with autonomy status, but it remained under the
Moscow canonic jurisdiction. Under the pressure of the Estonian
Government the Archbishop Alexander changed the canonic jurisdiction
of the Church and proclaimed its adherence to the Patriarch of
Constantinople. In 1935 the Church received a new statute and was
formally independent, while for Constantinople it was one of its
metropolis. After Estonia was incorporated into the Soviet Union,
normal relations with the Moscow Patriarch were rebuilt. The Estonian
Apostle Orthodox Church (EAOC) united with the Mother Church. It was
recognized in Constantinople in 1978.
After the end of the German occupation of Estonia during the WW2 the
head of EAOC Alexander fled from Estonia to Sweden. There he founded
the "Stockholm Synod". (There are no proves of legitimacy of this
structure in canonic or civil terms.) At the same time the majority of
Orthodox priests and believers remained in Estonia under the Soviet
ultra-atheistic rule.
After Estonia regained independence the local Church received autonomy
anew (1993). But it was impossible for the present Archbishop
Cornelius to register it under the pre-war name - EAOC. The same year
some priests registered in Estonia the "Stockholm Synod" as EAOC. That
means that this structure will receive all the pre-war Church property
as legal successors. The Schism of the Orthodox Church has had
nationalistic reasoning. Some Estonian Orthodox believers wanted an
ethnic Estonian to be the head of the Church. The State was interested
to put the local Church under the Constantinople jurisdiction. Some
prominent Estonian politicians, including the President Meri, were
involved into the process.
The registration of the "Stockholm Synod" as EAOC was made in
violation of Estonian laws, and in violation of canonic laws the
Patriarch of Constantinople tried to execute his power in Estonia. In
1996 two Patriarchs concluded an agreement, that all Orthodox parishes
in Estonia will decide themselves the question of jurisdiction (1996).
But this principle was rejected many times by the "Constantinople"
part of the Church that tried to receive all the property. They enjoy
support of 1/5 of the local Orthodox believers. They claimed that
represent 52 of 80 parishes. That is true, but their parishes are
usually very small and insignificant.
The normalization of the situation will occur under very difficult
circumstances. The head of the registered structure was in reality
sent by the Constantinople Patriarch. Some Estonian priests did not
recognize a "Greek" to be the Estonian Metropolitan. They claimed the
violation of the 1935 statute and organized new elections of the head
of the Church. Today there are three Orthodox Church structures in
Estonia. Only one of them is supported by the State. The Church
structure of 4/5 of Orthodox believers (under the Moscow Patriarch
jurisdiction) still does not enjoy normal legal status.
The Moscow Patriarchy is looking for the problem solution.
Unfortunately the latest meeting between its and Constantinople's
representatives demonstrated the state-recognized "Greek" Metropolitan
unwillingness to follow the previous agreement concerning perishes'
self-determination. The Church under the jurisdiction of the Moscow
Patriarch could be soon deprived of its own property. It is strange
that local politicians would not manage to come to conclusion with the
present Moscow Patriarch Alexis II, who was an Estonian citizen by
birth and started his cleric carrier in Estonia.
Vadim Polestsuk
Legal Information Centre for Human Rights (Tallinn)
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