Tallinn Church of St. John the Baptist in Nõmme – the first Orthodox parish in Estonia – voted to leave the Moscow Patriarchate.
Liivika Simmul, a parishioner of the Tallinn Church of John the Baptist in Nõmma, which is part of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP), said that members of their church are ready to lead an independent Christian life and approach it responsibly, the Rus.Postimees portal reported.
According to her, this was confirmed at a community meeting in April, where a decision was made regarding the future and status: “Initially, three options were discussed: to continue to live as before, petition for expanded autonomy or join the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC). By an overwhelming majority of votes, the parishioners decided in favor of achieving independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.”
Minister of Internal Affairs Lauri Läänemets (SDPE) explained that the decision on the further status of the EOC MP should be made by the parishes themselves during May: ” “The matter is urgent, but we do not want to put undue pressure on the EOC MP and parishes.”
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich