Finnish Lutheran archbishop cracks down on discrimination
Archbishop Jukka Paarma, the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the country’s biggest, said at a synod in Turku on Monday that a member of the clergy who refused to officiate should seek other posts within the church.
Referring to a group of clergymen who refuse to officiate alongside female colleagues, the primate added that a Christian church could not condone any brand of discrimination or refusals to perform official duties.
Archbishop Paarma said he hoped the clergymen would seek posts that they could carry out with a clear conscience.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ordained its first woman priests in 1988.
STT