Residents of Estonia have expressed outrage over a photo exhibition featuring Patriarch Kirill of Moscow displayed outside an Orthodox church on Rakvere Street in Narva.
This was reported by Postimees.
According to one of the newspaper’s readers, the photographs of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has openly supported Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, provoked her indignation.
“I was literally stunned. A man who blesses Russia’s war against Ukraine is presented outside an Estonian church as an honored guest. How much longer will the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church maintain ties with murderers?” she wrote.
In her view, such an exhibition is particularly inappropriate in the current political climate. She believes that photographs of Patriarch Kirill should not be displayed in public because they may be perceived as a sign of respect for a person who has repeatedly justified Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Postimees requested a comment from Father Vitaly Gavrilov, rector of the Narva church on Rakvere Street. He said that the photo exhibition, dedicated to the history of the Church of the Narva Icon of the Mother of God, has stood on church grounds for more than ten years.
“During that time, we have received neither complaints nor questions from local residents regarding its content. The photographs were taken during an official visit in 2013 attended, among others, by representatives of the state. These photographs are part of the historical chronicle of the parish. We honor the history of our church and carefully preserve the memory of all the events that have been part of its life,” Gavrilov said.
Earlier, Patriarch Kirill Gundyayev of the Russian Orthodox Church claimed that in a number of countries, including Estonia, there is an ongoing campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church.
Although the Russian Orthodox Church regards Estonia as part of its canonical territory in its official documents, this is not the case under Orthodox canon law. This is the view of church historian Priit Rohtmets and specialist in Orthodox canon law David Heith-Stade.
As Priit Rohtmets, Associate Professor at the University of Tartu, told LF in an interview, the Russian Orthodox Church will have to abandon its own imperial identity.
