Jukka Paarma
Greeting to His Holiness Pope John Paul II, January
15, 2005
In the Vatican on the Occasion of the Joint Visit of
the Three Finnish Church Leaders – Most Reverend Dr. Jukka Paarma, Archbishop
of Turku and Finland (Lutheran); Most Reverend Leo, Archbishop of Carelia and
all Finland (Orthodox) and Right Reverend Dr. Józef Wróbel, Bishop of Helsinki
(Roman Catholic) – to Rome on commemorate St. Henrik (Henry) the Patron Saint
of Finland
Your
Holiness!
On behalf
of the three Finnish Church Leaders and our churches, the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Finland, The Orthodox Church of Finland and the Catholic Church in Finland, I
would like cordially greet You in the beginning of the new year and especially
in the connection of the annual celebration of St. Henrik, the Martyr and
Patron Saint of Finland.
We are in Finland celebrating the year 2005 as special
year “Church in Finland
850 years”. Actually the history of the Christian Faith and the presence of
Christians in Finland
are longer. Some Christian influences came to Finland
even before the tragic division of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
of Jesus Christ to Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Churches in the famous
and historical year 1054. Nevertheless the year 1155 has commonly counted to be
the beginning and establishing of the ordinary Church life and permanent
settlement of the Western Catholic Church on the Finnish soil.
That’s the
reason why we are celebrating this year as the special year of the Church –
“Church in Finland
850 years”. To us Finnish Christians is very important that we are celebrating
this year together in an ecumenical spirit. One example of the good ecumenical
relations and realities we enjoy in Finland
is this joint visit of three Finnish bishops and delegations representing the
three main Christian traditions in Finland - the Lutheran, Orthodox
and Roman Catholic. Our Churches are all active member churches in the Finnish
Ecumenical Council, in which we pray and work together with other Christian Churches and communions for the visible
unity of the Church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The
celebration of this year “Church in Finland 850 years” began on the day
of Epiphany with the ecumenical feast in the presence of highest Finnish state
authorities in the Turku Cathedral.
The beautiful medieval Cathedral of Turku is dedicated to the Virgin
Mary and St. Henrik. The tragic catastrophe in
South East Asia with losses of human lives and
immeasurable sufferings shaped our worship to a national morning and payer for
those who have pasted away and for those who are mourning their loved ones.
It’s our strong hope and firm belief that although we can’t understand or
explain this catastrophe all human beings their souls and bodies are inside the
circle of our almighty Gods love and mercy.
We in Finland have in
fresh memories the day in June 1989, when you together with Archbishop John Vikström, me and other Church representatives
conducted the Morning Prayer (Laudes) in this very Church, the National Shrine
of Finland. In your sermon you, Your Holiness, emphasised the basic fact, that
we are all Christian on the basis of the Holy Baptism and the Faith. You said
us that you are our Brother in Faith because you like other Christians are united
to Christ in the baptism.
This is a
promising starting point to strive and search for the Christian Unity. In our
Finnish-Swedish Lutheran Roman Catholic dialogue and our other dialogues with
other Churches and Communions we hope and pray that we some day in the near
future could together share the Holy Communion of Lords Table. May the
crucified and risen Lord lead our ways to the fulfilment of His own pray: that
all His disciples may be one. It is our firm conviction that this is a fervent
prayer of the Holy Father.
We wish
You, Your Holiness, Gods merciful presence in your life and your work for the
unity of the Church.