ABSTRACT

This article examines recent legislative and administrative measures in Ukraine, Estonia, and Moldova that regulate Orthodox communities maintaining canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. It argues that these policies reflect a broader trend of security-oriented secularism, in which canonical affiliation – a theological and ecclesiastical concept – is reinterpreted as a legal marker of foreign political influence. By transforming spiritual belonging into an assumed indicator of political risk, states blur the distinction between religious affiliation and citizenship, leading to the etatization and politicization of religion. Through comparative analysis and reference to European human rights jurisprudence, the article demonstrates that treating canonical ties as inherently suspect raises serious concerns regarding state neutrality, proportionality, and the protection of religious freedom under international law.