Official Statement of President Meri
upon the recieving a letter from President Yeltsin
on the issue of the Apostolic Catholic Church

Kadriorg,
29 February 1996


                                On 29 February Lennart Meri, the Estonian
                                President, received Aleksandr Trofimov,
                                Ambassador of the Russian Federation, at his
                                request. The Russian Ambassador handed over
                                to President Meri a letter by Boris Yeltsin,
                                President of the Russian Federation, which
                                expressed concern over the situation that
                                has developed around the Apostolic Orthodox
                                Church.

                                The President explained to the Ambassador
                                that one-sided information had regrettably
                                been spread on the religious schism.

                                No matter which their confession of faith,
                                believers are sincerely rueful that the
                                Moscow Patriarchate failed to reach an
                                agreement with the Mother Church of
                                Constantinople. Yet the constitution of the
                                Republic of Estonia guarantees equal rights
                                to all denominations. Allegations
                                disseminated by some journalists as if the
                                members of the congregation under the Moscow
                                Patriarchate were to lose the possibility to
                                carry out religious sevices are absolutely
                                groundless. This horror story reminiscent of
                                the Middle Ages has absolutely no grounds
                                whatsoever. The churches, mosques and
                                temples in Estonia are and will be open to
                                all believers. The Estonian legislation is
                                now reinstating the property relations that
                                existed before the occupation of the
                                Republic of Estonia by the Red Army, but
                                this will not in the least restrict the
                                right of believers to participate in
                                religious services.

                                The President reiterated his standpoint
                                expressed in his speech at the Budapest
                                summit of European heads of state on
                                December 5, 1994, that such problems had to
                                be solved by believers themselves rather
                                than heads of state or politicians. Human
                                rights, including religious freedom, must
                                not be used by anyone as political tools or
                                propaganda agents. The Estonian constitution
                                grants a humane and lawful solution to the
                                church schism.