Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate

For the branch under the Patriarch of Constantinople, see Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn
ClassificationEastern Orthodox Church
TheologyEastern Orthodox theology
PrimateEugene (Reshetnikov)
LanguageRussian
LiturgyByzantine Rite
HeadquartersTallinn, Estonia
TerritoryEstonia
FounderRussian Orthodox Church
Origin11 August 1992
Moscow, Russia
Recognition
Congregations38 (2021)[1]
Members170,000 (2020)[2]
Official websiteEstonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate

The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP; Estonian: Moskva Patriarhaadi Eesti Õigeusu Kirik; Russian: Эстонская православная церковь Московского патриархата) is a semi-autonomous church in the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow whose primate is appointed by the Holy Synod of the latter.

This church numbers roughly 150,000 faithful in 31 congregations and is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in Estonia. The primate of the church was Cornelius (Jakobs), Metropolitan of Tallinn and All Estonia, from 1992 to his death in 2018. Since 2018 the head of this church is Metropolitan Eugene (Reshetnikov). After his residence permit was not renewed by Estonian authorities (due to his alleged defending of the "Kremlin regime and Russia's military actions") Reshetnikov left Estonia on February 6, 2024.[3][4] He stated that he would continue working remotely when back in Russia.[3]

Under Estonian law, another church – the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik) – is the legal successor to the pre-World War II Estonian Orthodox Church, which in 1940 had had over 210,000 faithful, three bishops, 156 parishes, 131 priests, 19 deacons, two monasteries, and a theological seminary, the majority of the faithful were ethnic Estonians. The EAOC's primate is confirmed by the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and numbers about 20,000 faithful in 60 congregations today.[5] The reactivation of this autonomous Estonian Orthodox Church caused the Russian Orthodox Church to sever full communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1996 for several months.[6]

  1. ^ EOC MP: Parishes Archived 2021-07-09 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference US2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ERRDW682067 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference russian-orthodox-clergyman-leave-country-2024-01-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Profiles The Orthodox Church of Estonia, Michael J.L. La Civita, One Magazine". Cnewa.us. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  6. ^ "Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church 8 November 2000 : Russian Orthodox Church". mospat.ru. 12 November 2000. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-01. Patriarch Bartholomew issued an 'Act' on 20 February 1996 on the renewal of the 1923 Tomos of Patriarch Meletius IV and on the establishment of the 'Autonomous Orthodox Estonian Metropolia' on the territory of Estonia. Temporal administration was entrusted to Archbishop John of Karelia and All Finland. A schismatic group headed by the suspended clergymen was accepted into canonical communion. Thus the schism in Estonia became a reality. On 23 February 1996, in response to the one-sided and illegal actions of Patriarch Bartholomew the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved to recognize them 'as schismatic and compelling our Church to suspend canonical and Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople… and to omit the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople in the diptych of the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches.'