On Monday, the Riigikogu adopted by 75 votes, or a more than two-thirds majority, a statement declaring the Moscow Patriarchate an institution sponsoring the Russian aggression. At the same time, the Riigikogu noted that the statement concerns the Moscow Patriarchate as an institution and directing body, not the people who follow Orthodox traditions.
«Orthodox associations and congregations should also carry out their own assessment of the threat to public order and to their members caused by the hostile influencing activities, and take the necessary steps to cut the ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Republic of Estonia must preserve the constitutional right to religious freedom, with full consideration for the rights and freedoms of everyone living here,» the Riigikogu statement reads.
In simpler terms, the Riigikogu put the ball in the court of the EOC-MP. We have seen that the EOC-MP has not wished to distance itself from Moscow. While the issue of the Moscow Patriarchate has several dimensions, the first one of them concerns the relationship between the secular state and a religious organization. According to the Estonian Constitution, we have freedom of religion, but it's important to remember that this freedom applies to organizations dealing with faith, not justifying imperialist policies.