Kuremäe, Estonia, November 1, 2024
Photo: pravoslavie.ru
Abbess of the Pükhtitsa Dormition Convent in Estonia, Mother Philareta (Kalacheva), has written an address to Minister of Internal Affairs Lauri Läänemets, responding to the state’s demands that the monastery and the Estonian Church leave the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Pükhtitsa was founded in 1891, with assistance from St. John of Kronstadt. Besides the Pskov Caves Monastery, it is the only holy habitation to have never closed during the long decades of atheist Bolshevik rule. However, now the monastery faces the possibility of closure because of its canonical status. Though on the territory of Estonia, it is a stavropegial monastery, meaning it falls directly under the episcopal oversight of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Meanwhile, the Estonian Orthodox Church is a self-governing body within the Moscow Patriarchate.
In her new appeal, Mother Philareta presents arguments explaining why the monastery, on its own initiative, cannot and has no right to renounce its current stavropegial status or appeal to Church authorities to change its jurisdiction and transfer to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, reads a summary of the lengthy address on the site of Pükhtitsa Monastery.
There have been two Orthodox jurisdictions in Estonia since the Patriarchate of Constantinople established a structure parallel to the already existing Church under the Moscow Patriarchate in 1996. Constantinople’s Estonian Church has 
Constantinople’s Estonian Church proposes vicariate to subsume churches facing state pressureHowever, the EOC has said that it’s willing to hold discussions with the EAOC, but neither the hierarchy nor the faithful are willing to simply join the EAOC.
“>proposed the creation of a vicariate to subsume the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Estonian Orthodox Church, but the latter has 
Estonian Orthodox Church formally rejects proposal to join Constantinople’s jurisdictionOn September 19, the head of the EAOC proposed at a session of the Estonian Council of Churches to create a Russian vicariate to subsume parishes of the EOC-MP.”>rejected this option. Meanwhile, Minister Läänemets recently 
Estonia: Bill submitted to ban churches tied to the Moscow PatriarchateThe Estonian Ministry of the Interior has seriously ramped up its pressure on the Estonian Orthodox Church as Minister Lauri Läänemets has proposed new legislation to ban religious organizations connected to the Moscow Patriarchate.”>submitted a bill to ban the Moscow Patriarchate.
The very mystery of monasticism and the vows taken during tonsure (poverty, chastity, obedience) make it impossible for the monastery’s inhabitants to arbitrarily and willfully change their way of life, Abbess Philareta writes in her appeal.
Based on this, in the context of the state’s demands issue, the alleged granting of voting rights to people under obedience regarding the choice of jurisdiction directly contradicts both the very concept of monasticism and the vows made by the nuns, which are based on renunciation of the world, the abbess explains.
The monastery’s way of life is determined by its statutes, which prohibits an unauthorized change of jurisdiction. Examples from the monastery’s history show that changes in its jurisdiction occurred exclusively due to specific historical and state changes and were always carried out by decision of the Church authorities, the head of the monastery explains.
Further, neither the Russian Orthodox Church’s nor the monastery’s statutes allow the Patriarch to unilaterally change its jurisdiction, Mother notes. “Such a decision is not made unilaterally but requires collegiality and presupposes a sequence of canonical-legal Church events.”
The abbess’ appeal expresses confidence that Estonian authorities will properly evaluate the monastery’s commitment to observing the fundamental norms of Church life, given that the state has never had and does not have any complaints about the actions of its inhabitants.
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