Estonia’s Leader Rejects Law Targeting Orthodox Church

(MENAFN) Estonia's President, Alar Karis, has once again rejected a controversial bill aimed at the nation's largest Christian group, the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (ECOC), asserting that it infringes on the country's constitution.

The proposed legislation, passed by lawmakers in April, seeks to prohibit religious organizations from maintaining affiliations with foreign entities considered security risks. Specifically, the bill targets local churches by preventing them from forming ties or financial connections with such groups, as outlined in their core documents or charters. While a similar provision to bar religious organizations from foreign control was scrapped after Karis’ opposition in April, the president argues that the revised version remains inadequate.

The bill “disproportionately limits the freedom of congregations and religion,” Karis stated on Thursday, sharply criticizing the legislation's “vague” definition of what constitutes a "threat." He further argued that Tallinn already possesses “other effective means” to handle foreign influence, asserting that the level of intervention into citizens' religious affairs was unnecessary. Karis also emphasized that lawmakers had openly expressed their intent to exert control “over church teachings and religious rituals.”

Karis’ stance has sparked backlash from Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro, who defended the bill as a measure to safeguard national “security.” Taro added that the legislation would not “ban Orthodox Christianity or any other religion.”

The ECOC has been vocal in its opposition to the bill. In June, the church warned that even after amendments, the law continued to “disproportionately” interfere with the internal governance of religious organizations. The ECOC had already been required to alter its charter by removing references to the Moscow Patriarchate, despite its long-standing ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), a relationship that has persisted since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

The ROC has denounced the proposed law, calling it discriminatory toward Estonia's 250,000 Orthodox Christians. The church insists that the ECOC has never engaged in politics or posed a threat to public safety. Government statistics show that roughly 16% of Estonians identify as Orthodox Christians, while 8% are Lutherans.

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