Estonian President Alar Karis has submitted a recently passed law on religious organizations to the country's Supreme Court, arguing that it violates the constitution and unjustly targets the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (ECOC), formerly affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate.

The contested legislation, approved by Parliament on September 17, mandates that religious groups sever ties with foreign religious centers deemed a threat to Estonia’s sovereignty. It specifically requires the ECOC to break doctrinal relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. Failure to comply could result in the dissolution of the church’s legal structure, allowing individual parishes to re-register independently — even without the consent of their current leadership.

President Karis contends that the law infringes on fundamental rights enshrined in Estonia’s Constitution, particularly Articles 11, 40, and 48, which guarantee freedom of religion, expression, and association.

“A state cannot intervene in doctrines or religious rites without generating greater risks,” Karis said in a public statement. “Overreaching restrictions like these may only strengthen the influence of foreign religious leaders among the faithful, rather than diminish it.”

The law had been returned to Parliament multiple times by the president before being passed. Observers widely interpret it as a direct move against the ECOC, which has come under increasing scrutiny since Estonia designated the Russian Orthodox Church as a supporter of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine in May 2024.

In the wake of the legal battle, Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn and All Estonia, who had previously been forced to leave the country after being denied a residence permit, called on the clergy and faithful to intensify prayers. Special services and supplicatory canons (molebens and akathists) are being held daily in Tallinn churches from October 6 to 12.

“We call upon all parishioners to pray fervently for our Church,” Metropolitan Eugene said in a pastoral message.

Internationally, the law has drawn concern from Orthodox churches around the world. Representatives of the ECOC have made appeals at the United Nations, citing violations of religious freedom and persecution. Several autocephalous Orthodox Churches have expressed solidarity with the embattled Estonian Church.

As the Supreme Court reviews the constitutionality of the law, tensions remain high between the state and Orthodox communities in Estonia — with the outcome likely to shape the future of religious freedom in the country.