Question:
Metropolitan Stephanos, one of the most surprising events
of last month in Estonia was the registration of the
Moscow Patriarchate Church structure under the name
Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Many Orthodox have certainly questions, doubts and guesses
about that registration. For that reason I ask Your
Eminence to shed a little more light on this matter.
Answers:
1)
Concerning the registration of the jurisdiction of the
Moscow Patriarchate in Estonia
Estonia
is a state of right. Both private persons and organizations
must be subject to the laws of the state. Keeping this
in mind, the registration of the local structure of
the Moscow Patriarchate was totally inevitable. Consequently,
this registration is a positive act from our point of
view.
We
must understand that we live in another epoch than our
ancestors. The modern democratic states have the duty
to adhere strictly to the human rights and the possibility
of everybody to practise his religion. There are 42
different religions in Estonia (according to official
statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there
were 147 000 Orthodox in Estonia in March 2002. Of these,
127 000 are mostly of Russian, Byelorussian and Ukrainian
descent, and 20 000 are Estonians), half of which recognize
the Bible as the basis of their faith. It is clear that
the government cannot control the inner principles of
all these denominations, including their ecclesiastical
and canonical schemes. The function of the government
is to organize the society according to the laws and
to protect the liberties of the people living in our
country.
Clause
40 of the Constitution of Estonia specifies that the
registration of a religious body in Estonia is only
administrative and does not mean an involvement of the
government in doctrinal, canonical and other internal
matters of a given religious organization. The registration
should be taken first of all as routine act of civil
law. It is enough to read the press release from April
17 of the Ministry of internal Affairs to be convinced
that by this, the Moscow Patriarchate cannot legalize
its canonical, ecclesiastical or historical claims in
Estonia.
2)
Concerning the properties
What
the media say, especially if they do not take precautions
to get information well, is one thing; the reality is
another.
In
1993 a court judgment, confirmed in 1994 by the Supreme
Court, recognized our Church as the lawful subject for
the return of all Orthodox ecclesiastical properties
nationalized during the Soviet occupation. I have nothing
to add to that.
This
being so, we have always adopted a positive attitude
vis-à-vis our Orthodox brothers of the Moscow
Patriarchate. So far they have used our properties -
places of worship and others - without any obstacles.
At least a minimum of gratitude could be expected from
them; however, they have none and this is quite regrettable.
Currently,
a commission of our Church is charged to find, together
with the representatives of the Government, the best
possible solution in the matter of the properties claimed
by the Moscow Patriarchate. Once this commission has
arrived at concrete conclusions, we will convene our
General Assembly since only it has got the capacity
to make a definitive decision in this question. All
the remainder is just vain chattering which aims at
maintaining a passionate climate, which is as useless
as it is harmful. You understand very well that I have
no will to enter into that game.
Last,
regarding our historical property on Pikk street in
Tallinn, I am not willing to make concessions. Of course,
arrangements with Tallinn town are always possible,
provided that they lie within the scope of law and justice.
3)
Is something changed for us after the registration of
the Moscow Patriarchate diocese?
Sincerely,
I do not see what could disturb us. We exist only by
the will of God and not because political circumstances
of the moment favours it or not. If we really are of
Christ, what do we have to fear ? If our priests serve
the Church with love, if our faithful take care of their
parishes with confidence and enthusiasm, all the remainder
will be given us in surplus. Though ransacked spiritually,
intellectually and materially, our Church managed to
pass the ordeals and persecutions with dignity. Justice
and peace are there for those who have got courage and
will. Therefore, let me repeat once again, we have nothing
to fear or disturb us.
The
history is unfortunately there. We must learn its lesson
with a dispassionate and constructive spirit. The Moscow
Patriarchate cannot act as if nothing happened in this
country. Its iniquitous and brutal decision by which
our Church was dissolved on March 9, 1945, is a fact
that cannot be put into brackets. In spite of exiles,
deportations of populations, closing of churches and
liquidation of parishes, especially the Estonian ones,
our Church was not eradicated from Estonia. And if we
exist today its not only because we had the Church Administration
in exile (in Stockholm, Sweden), but that all the time
there were Orthodox people here, who kept the Church
alive. The 1996 Zurich agreements between the Patriarchates
of Constantinople and Moscow led to the current ecclesiastical
situation. By these agreements Moscow recognizes the
Orthodox Church of Estonia (EAOK) and Constantinople
admits the existence of a jurisdiction of Moscow Patriarchate
in our canonical territory. It is not an ideal one,
but at least it has the merit of offering temporarily
a viable and peaceful space to both one and the other.
Still, it is necessary to respect them strictly. That
is not the case everywhere.
But
one day, whether some like it or not, it will be necessary
to confirm more strictly to the sense of the sacred
canons of the Orthodox Church: only one local Church
in one country. That will be possible if the hearts
of all of us are well disposed.
The
speeches of hatred, the attitudes of exclusion and fanaticism
that one meets here or there are sins that hurt Orthodoxy
not only in Estonia, but every Orthodox. It is high
time for them to cease.
For
my part, and all can witness to this, I have always
carefully avoided provocations and attitudes that can
offend our brothers of the Moscow Patriarchate. But
there is a limit to everything. I thus solemnly invite
Metropolitan Cornelius to take necessary steps for the
restoration of full communion between us, as the Zurich
agreements require it, so that we can finally together
witness, as is due, to our common faith in true evangelic
fraternity.
Given in Tallinn on May 27, 2002 for the newspaper "Metropoolia".
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