Constantinople bishop visits Tallinn

His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomeos, archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and ecumenical patriarch arrived in Estonia on Oct. 26 to officiate a church service at the Lord's Transfiguration Cathedral in Tallinn.

The patriarch met President Lennart Meri, Speaker of Parliament Toomas Savi, Prime Minister Mart Laar and Minister of Interior Affairs Tarmo Loodus during his visit from Oct. 26 to Nov.1.

The Estonian Apostle-Orthodox Church regained its independence in 1996, and today it operates as an independent unit, not directly ruled by Constantinople.

On June 9, 1922 the Constantinople Patriarch Meletios uncanonically received the Finnish diocese into his jurisdiction, and on Aug. 28 the same year he accepted the Estonian diocese as an independent unit, which formerly was a part of the Russian Church.

By now, the Estonian church is in common union with the following confessions: the Russian Church Outside Russia (under Metropolitan Filaret) and the Antiochian Archdiocese of Toledo (under Metropolitan Michael).