It has happened again: at the end of March, the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, under the leadership of Patriarch Kirill, declared the war in Ukraine a holy war for all Russians, aimed at opposing the «degenerate» West, annexing Ukraine to Russia, and eliminating Ukraine's independent Orthodox Church because it is not the «correct» church.
Thus, it has been made explicitly clear that the Russian Orthodox Church is a possessed instrument within Vladimir Putin's power hierarchy, very much in the same way as during Stalin's era. A wolf in sheep's clothing may resemble a sheep, but it is neither harmless nor vegetarian. The West must understand that the Russian Orthodox Church, operating under the guise of traditional religious freedom, exploits the privileges of democratic, free societies to conduct influence operations and potentially espionage.
In some Russian-language schools in Estonia, religious education is conducted by representatives of the Orthodox Church, promoting a worldview aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church’s preferences. This often happens with the silent consent of school administrations, violating the principles of religious freedom. By default, it also undermines another vital Western principle, the separation of church and state.
Postimees argues that the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate must decide whether or not it recognizes the values enshrined in the Estonian Constitution. Vague and evasive explanations, such as those given by Bishop Daniel Lepisk, representative of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, at Tuesday's press conference, are not enough. In the current situation, the only conceivable option is to remove "Moscow Patriarchate" from the church's name and continue operating in Estonia as an independent church, free from Moscow.
