The hierarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, Archbishop Theodosius of Sebaste, issued a statement calling for attention to the harassment and persecution of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Expressing the hope that the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and other countries of the world "will end through dialogue and the search for ways to mutual understanding, and not through war, the victims of which are innocent civilians," Archbishop Theodosius stressed: "We also oppose the use of military conflict as a pretext for the persecution of canonical The Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Estonia and other countries."
In particular, His Eminence recalled that in relation to the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which "has a historical presence in this country," harassment is "committed in a variety of ways.
" "We call on the ruling authorities of Estonia to immediately stop these persecutions and unfair actions against the Estonian Orthodox Church, which is not a participant in any political process or a military conflict, and, like any Orthodox Church, it is a messenger of peace, love and unity," says Archbishop Theodosius of Sebaste.
According to him, using the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine to persecute the Orthodox Church in a number of countries "is an inhumane and uncivilized act.
" "We believe that the persecution of any Orthodox Church in the world is the persecution of the entire Church," the archpastor stressed, calling on "all Christian, spiritual leaders and human rights organizations to turn their attention to attention to the current persecution against the Orthodox Church in Estonia, carried out under false pretexts."
The statement reads: "During the continuing days of Holy Easter, we express our support to the Estonian Orthodox Church and assure you, our beloved brothers, of our prayers, hoping that the power of good will triumph over the power of evil, and the power of life will triumph over the power of death. Because the One whose resurrection we celebrate today has given us life, which is in itself Divine grace and God's blessing. Therefore, we ask and pray that all wars in the world will stop: in Gaza, Ukraine and in all other places. As Christians, we do not believe in the power of wars, violence and murders, but believe in the power of love, mercy and human unity. Our common duty now is to stand by the Orthodox Churches that are being persecuted because of their spiritual kinship with the Moscow Patriarchate. And today, when the Estonian Orthodox Church is being subjected to unprecedented persecution, we must all condemn the unfair measures against this sister Church and call for their speedy cessation."