After centuries of prohibition, the small Catholic community of Estonia is returning from the ashes. On 26 September 2024, Pope Francis erected the first diocese in the country. On 1 November of the same year, during an address to the Catholic Church of Estonia to mark the centenary of the creation of its first apostolic administration, Pope Francis congratulated it for being an “example of faith”, despite “decades of suffering, occupation and oppression”, and stated that “this admirable legacy of faith and charity will nurture the current generation of priests, religious and lay faithful”.