Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Urmas Viilma spoke on October 11, 2022 in defense of Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn, Primate of the self-governing Estonian Orthodox Church under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.  Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic issued an ultimatum to the Metropolitan demanding to condemn the position of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in Ukraine, in particular, words in support of the actions of the Russian army, Pravlife writes.

“I’m a little intrigued, but the question arises: can the state or its representative issue such an ultimatum in a country like Estonia, where there is no state church?”  – Archbishop Urmas Viilma doubted, commenting on the situation on the air of the national radio channel Vikerraadio.

“I doubt very much that communication in such an ultimatum form is correct,” continued the head of Estonian Lutherans.  In this regard, he asked what happened in the country not only to freedom of religion, but also to freedom of thought or worldview.  “Where do these legal frameworks lead today?”  – added the hierarch.

He also stressed that the Estonian authorities have not made statements or presented any evidence that Metropolitan Eugene or the Estonian Orthodox Church pose any threat to the country’s security.

As previously reported, the head of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, Lauri Läänemets, threatened to revoke the residence permit of Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn and All Estonia if he makes statements in support of military operations in Ukraine.