New laws came into force on June 27. According to them, Estonian churches must not be associated with foreign clergy who threaten Estonia's security.
The Ministry of the Interior sent a letter to all churches. The letter stated that they have six months to bring their activities into compliance with the new laws. If they fail to do so, the minister may close the church.
The main question is what will happen to the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The church is linked to the Moscow Patriarchate. Bishop Daniel of the church said they will try to gain clarity and decide what to do within six months.
Ilmo Au, an advisor at the Ministry of the Interior, said the church must elect a new leader. The current leader, Metropolitan Eugene, had to leave Estonia because his activities threatened the country's security.
It is also difficult to remove references to Moscow from the statutes. Moscow Patriarch Kirill currently has to approve all decisions of the church's general assembly. Au said severing ties is challenging for the church but possible.
University of Tartu professor Priit Rohtmets believes the church will try to reduce Moscow's influence. However, it may not succeed completely. He said that within six months, it will become clear whether the church wants to make changes or not.
Another issue is the church's tomos. This is a document that defines the church's rights and position within the Moscow Patriarchate. According to the tomos, the Moscow Patriarch must approve the church's decisions. Rohtmets thinks the church does not want to give up the tomos.
A new court dispute may arise in winter. The court will have to decide whether the church has severed ties with Moscow. If not, the church may be closed.
A similar situation exists in Ukraine. There, the court has been debating for over a year whether ties with Moscow have been severed. In Estonia, the church does not need Moscow's permission to break ties. However, Rohtmets believes Moscow will not let go of the Estonian church.