Estonia has given the Moscow Patriarchate-affiliated Estonian Orthodox Christian Church six months to fully sever its ties with Russian Patriarch Kirill, whose secular name is Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, or face possible dissolution under the country's updated legislation.
The deadline follows the entry into force of amendments to Estonia's Churches and Religious Communities Act, which prohibit religious organizations from remaining affiliated with a religious leader based in a foreign country if that individual is considered a threat to Estonia's national security.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has notified all religious organizations of the new requirements. In a letter sent by Interior Ministry Secretary General Tarmo Miilits, religious associations were instructed to bring their activities into compliance by December 28. Failure to do so could result in the interior minister initiating legal proceedings to forcibly dissolve the organization.
Although the notification was addressed to every religious community in Estonia, attention has focused on the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church, formerly known as the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, because of its longstanding links to Moscow.
