Estonian Orthodox Church and monastery file complaints with the ECHR — ERR News
In Estonia, the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church and the Pühtitsa Monastery in Kuremäe, Ida-Viru County, have filed complaints with the European Court of Human Rights over a law requiring them to sever administrative ties with Moscow. This was reported by ERR News.
Requirements of the law
On June 8, Estonia’s Supreme Court upheld the law, interpreting it as a ban on administrative rather than religious ties with Moscow. The church must sever its administrative ties and appoint a new metropolitan by December 28.
According to lawyer Artur Knyazev, if the requirements are not met, the interior minister intends to apply to the court for the forced dissolution of the church and monastery. Amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act entered into force on June 27, 2026, giving religious associations six months to comply with the new requirements.
The position of church representatives
Knyazev stated that, in his clients’ view, the requirement to change the church’s statutes and ties effectively forces believers to renounce their confessional identity. Another church representative, lawyer Steven-Hristo Evestus, stressed that the concept of administrative ties on which the court’s ruling is based is not explicitly contained in the text of the law.
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Six of the 17 Supreme Court judges, including the court’s chair, issued a dissenting opinion. They believed that the law does not meet the requirement of legal certainty. Church representatives also stated that no Estonian authority had established any unlawful actions by the church or monastery.
Ties with the Moscow Patriarchate
The Estonian Christian Orthodox Church, formerly known as the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, removed the reference to the Moscow Patriarchate from its name in March 2025. At the same time, Estonia’s Ministry of the Interior deemed this step insufficient, as the church’s statutes provided for the need for the signature of Moscow Patriarch Kirill to make important decisions.
Two major Orthodox churches operate in Estonia: the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church and the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, which is historically connected with Constantinople rather than Moscow.
