Abbess of Pühtitsa Convent: New church law is a canonical crime

Abbess of the Kuremäe Dormition Convent, Filareta Kalachova. Photo: Eero Vabamägi

Abbess Filareta (Kalachova) of the Kuremäe (Pühtitsa) Dormition Stauropegial Convent stated that the proposed amendments to Estonia’s Law on Churches and Parishes would lead to the closure of the monastery. The abbess wrote about this in an open letter addressed to the Riigikogu and government ministers, as reported by Postimees.

"We understand the goal of this bill – to force the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) to change jurisdiction and come under the protection of Constantinople. Our repeated explanations that the monastery cannot unilaterally initiate a jurisdictional transfer have been ignored," Abbess Filareta wrote.

According to the nun, in the 1990s, the convent completely relinquished all its property, unconditionally and without claims, handing everything over to the state for the sake of maintaining its spiritual connection with the Mother Church.

"We have always adhered to the conditions of the agreement made at that time. Now, you are placing the monastery outside the law, giving us only two options: either change jurisdiction or face forced liquidation. You fully understand that your actions are effectively shutting down the monastery. Do you truly wish to go down in history as the parliamentarians who forcibly ended the existence of Estonia’s renowned Orthodox nunnery, which has stood for over a century?" the abbess inquired the Riigikogu deputies.

She also expressed surprise at the government’s position, which places the responsibility for the current situation on the convent’s residents, making them accountable for decisions made by politicians.

The abbess believes that the initiators of the bill are forcing the Church to commit a canonical crime under the pretext of supposedly protecting the sanctuary from problems.

At the end of January, the Estonian government approved a bill amending the Law on Churches and Parishes, requiring religious organizations to change their statutes and completely sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The head of the Estonian Council of Churches, Archbishop Urmas Viilma of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, told Postimees that the council has no reason to doubt that the Estonian government is acting in the best interests of the country. "I believe this initiative is aimed at ensuring Estonia’s security and preventing potential threats," Viilma said.

"The threat at our eastern border is real, and I am glad that all parliamentary parties in Estonia agree on this issue. There are differences in how to defend against these threats, but that is part of democracy. I do not believe, nor do I want to believe, that this is primarily about seeking political gain for any party. I do not see it that way," the archbishop added.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Estonia was preparing a law to enforce the exit of Orthodox Christians from the Russian Orthodox Church.

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