Cathedral of St Aleksandr Nevsky in Tallinn (Estonia), the mother-church of the canonical Estonian Autonomous Orthodox Church (MP)
Moscow, 18 June 2008 (Interfax):
The election of new bishops for the uncanonical EP jurisdiction in Estonia is not warranted by pastoral need and shall needlessly complicate Orthodox relations in Estonia, the Moscow Patriarchate stated. “The decision to consecrate new bishops is not relevant to the actual pastoral needs of the small number of believers in the EP church, for official information from the Ministry of Interior says that they number only some 25,000”, according to a statement of the press-service of the MP Department for External Church Relations posted on the MP official web site on Wednesday.
This commentary was offered by the DECR regarding the results of a meeting of the EP jurisdiction in Estonia in Tallinn on 12 June. Bishop-designates for the Tartu and Pjarnu-Saarremaa Dioceses were elected and it was announced that the process of “restoring the Estonian Orthodox Church” through the establishment of a Holy Synod would soon be complete. The MP noted that information from the Ministry of Interior states that the number of adherents of the MP Estonian Autonomous Orthodox Church is some 170,000 under the pastoral care of 60 clergymen. “According to the best information, the churches of the EP in Estonia are sparsely attended, and many of their parishes only hold services sporadically. The election of new bishops shall hardly improve this situation, as the majority of Estonian Orthodox believers wish to preserve their ties to the Mother Church of the Moscow Patriarchate”, the statement said.
The MP sees the motives of the decisions taken on 12 June “as an attempt to create an outward impression that there is a vigorous church life in order to gain recognition as a canonical autonomous church from other Local Orthodox Churches and to secure the support of international Christian organisations. This action of the EP jurisdiction, which is not warranted by actual pastoral need, is directed towards the acquisition of one-sided advantages and shall only needlessly complicate Orthodox relations in Estonia. In addition, these actions shall only hinder the dialogue between the MP and EP in regards to the resolution of disputes over church properties in Estonia and the canonical status of the two jurisdictions”, the statement noted. The so-called “Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church”, founded by the EP in 1996, is considered an uncanonical body by the MP and all other Local Orthodox Churches.
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24977 (in Russian)
