The Council of Europe Ministers Committee will consider the situation of the Orthodox Church in Estonia

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE MINISTERS COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER THE SITUATION OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN ESTONIA

The Council of Europe Ministers Committee will consider on October 17, 2001, an interpellation on the situation of the Orthodox believers in Estonia sent by the head of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. D. Rogozin, during the recent PACE session.

Noting that the new Law on Churches and Parishes recently adopted by the Estonian Parliament contains articles that contradict the commonly accepted standards for the freedom of religion settled in the PACE international agreements and resolutions, Mr. Rogozin asked the Committee to answer the question: “What measures the Ministers Committee plans to take to demand that Estonia

– settle the problem of the registration of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to ensure the rights of its believers;

– make amendments to the Law on Churches and Parishes so that it may not be discriminatory with regard to various churches and take specific measures to ensure the religious rights of all the ethnic minorities living in Estonia”.

According to the Council of Europe’s procedure, the Ministers Committee at its session on October 17 will hold a first exchange of opinions on this issue. After that the Secretariat of the organization will be instructed to draft a text of the official response of the Ministers Committee to the Parliamentary Assembly. After an appropriate discussion, the text will be adopted at one of the subsequent meetings of the Ministers Committee. This response will represent the official stand of the chief executive body of the Council of Europe on this issue.