The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (Moscow Patriarchate, according to LF) and Pühtitsa Monastery have filed complaints with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act.

This was reported by ERR.

Attorney Artur Knyazev argues that the state’s demands affect not only administrative ties but also the religious identity of believers. According to him, the changes to church regulations required by the state are incompatible with preserving Orthodox religious identity.

The Church believes that, in practice, the Ministry of the Interior is demanding the severance of both administrative and religious ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Representatives of the Church and the monastery intend to challenge these requirements before the ECHR.

Meanwhile, the Church is continuing its dialogue with the Ministry of the Interior.

The amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act came into force on 27 June. Religious organisations were given six months to bring their statutes, governing board memberships and activities into compliance with the new requirements. The requirements concerning clergy took effect without a transitional period.

If ties with the Russian Orthodox Church are not severed by the deadline, the Minister of the Interior intends to apply to the courts for the compulsory dissolution of the organisations concerned.

Patriarch Kirill Gundyayev of the Russian Orthodox Church previously claimed that a campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church was allegedly continuing in several countries, including Estonia.

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, according to church historian Priit Rohtmets and Orthodox canon law specialist David Heith-Stade.

As University of Tartu Associate Professor Priit Rohtmets stated in an interview with LF, the Russian Orthodox Church will have to abandon its imperial identity.