Will Estonia Be the Site of Another Compromise Arrangement for Orthodox?

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Sept. 23 – Estonia, which since the 1990s, has had two Orthodox churches, one subordinate to Moscow and a second subordinate to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, may be on its way to offering a second compromise agreement to deal with disputes over the fate of the Russian church abroad.

            Until recently, many observers felt what has become known as “the Estonian compromise” might be a model for the way in which other post-Soviet states might handle Orthodoxy (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2018/10/does-estonias-history-with-two-orthodox.html).

            But the Moscow Patriarchate’s increasingly aggressive line since the start of the expanded war in Ukraine has killed off that possibility even in Estonia let alone anywhere else (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/08/tallinn-pushes-hard-to-end-estonian.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/01/moscow-patriarchs-policies-making.html)

            Now, however, Estonian media are reporting about conversations between the Estonian Apostolic Church of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Estonia Orthodox Church which is linked to Moscow that might point to another compromise albeit one far less welcome in Moscow.

            Tallinn’s Postimees newspaper is reporting that the EAOC had proposed to the EOC “the creating an additional ‘vicarate of parishes of the Russian tradition’ within the Patriarchate of Constantinople” that parishes and bishoprics of the EOC could enter after a genuine and complete break with Moscow (https://rus.postimees.ee/8099905/estonskaya-pravoslavnaya-cerkov-hochet-pomoch-epc-mp-otdelitsya-ot-russkoy-pravoslavnoy-cerkvi).

            According to a statement by the EAOC, “this would mean that the EOC MP will remain an independent church entity which will be able to continue to follow its own church practice, use its own language and calendar and be fully financially independent.” Further, the EAOC said it would seek the support of the Estonian Council of Churches for such a move.”

            Russian Orthodox groups linked to Moscow have been savagely critical of this proposal, arguing that it is simply a fig leaf to cover what they say would be the destruction of their church in Estonia (raskolam.net/en/81328-konstantynopolskyj-patriarhat-zaproponuvav-epcz-stvoryty-vikariat-v-estoniyi-shhob-vidokremytysya-vid-rpcz/ and rusk.ru/newsdata.php?idar=118882).

            But the fact that talks between the two churches are continuing does suggest that there is interest on both sides in an outcome which could preclude a decision by the Estonian government to follow Ukraine’s lead and seek to ban Russian Orthodoxy in that Baltic country altogether.