The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) has been granted the legal right to call itself the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church. The registration of this name was initially denied, being recognized as misleading since the Church does not encompass all Orthodox Christians in Estonia.
This was reported by ERR.
The EOC MP submitted a request to amend its statutes and name in September 2024, seeking to adopt the new name of the Estonian Orthodox Church.
The Registration Department forwarded the application to a judge to handle, who deemed the proposed new name misleading because it incorrectly suggests that it encompasses all Orthodox Christians in Estonia.
The EOC MP then chose a new name, the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church, but the Registration Department considered it misleading for the same reasons. At the time, no other issues were identified with the church's application by the registrar.
On Monday, March 24, the Tartu County Court ruled in favor of the EOC MP, granting the appeal filed by attorneys Steven-Hristo Evestus and Artur Knjazev on behalf of the church.
According to the court's ruling, the new name complies with the law and is not misleading as to the purpose, scope, or legal form of the Church.
The court deemed the clarifications provided by the appellants to be appropriate and understandable, noting that the new name accurately reflects the church's purpose and scope — specifically, it is a Christian Orthodox church operating in Estonia. In the court's opinion, under conditions of religious freedom, it is not possible to conclude that any one church could encompass all believers.
“With [our] new name and statutes, our church emphasizes its self-governing status. Over the past year, we have had to endure hostile attitudes due to our canonical ties to the Moscow Patriarchate, which is also the origin of the name of our church,” said Bishop Daniel, emphasizing that the new name and statutes reflect the independence of the Church in all aspects.