Patriarch Bartholomew to Visit Estonia

Patriarch Bartholomew during his last visit
( Photo: Postimees/Scanpix )

The Archbishop of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, will attend the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Apostolic Orthodox Church of Estonia in September.

“In 1923, Archbishop of Constantinople Meletios granted our church autonomy. That means internal independence with a few slight constraints. The head of the church must be sanctioned by the archbishop, for example,” Mattias Pall, head priest of the church, told ETV Tuesday.

The trip will be Bartholomew's second to Estonia, having previously visited in 2000.

The church yesterday marked the death of bishop and martyr Plato, who was murdered by Bolsheviks in Tartu in January 1919. The bishop, who was Estonian, was canonized 13 years ago.   

Head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is reported to be set for a visit to Estonia in June.