The Most Reverend Dr. Jukka Paarma

 

For the unity of the Church and the well-being of the World Council of Churches

 

Speech given at the reception on the occasion of the Special Commission of the World Council of Churches´ meeting in Järvenpää and Helsinki, May 30^th, 20002, the Crypt of Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral

 

 

Your Eminences Metropolitan Khrysostomos and Bishop Rolf Koppe

Venerable members of the Special Commission of the World Council of Churches

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

 

 

It is great pleasure for me in this evening to greet and welcome you all here in the crypt of the Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki. We have just experienced a Vesper conducted by the Lutheran and Orthodox bishops of Helsinki. I thank you both - Bishop Eero Huovinen and Metropolitan Ambrosius - for this occasion.

 

Maybe you have learned already  the closeness between the Finnish Lutheran and the Orthodox Churches here in our country. Please, let me add still one more remark using this church building where we meet to day as an example. This church was initiated 150 years ago by the Grand Duke of Finland who happened at the same time to be the Orthodox Zar of the Russian Empire.

 

The Lutheran and Orthodox Christians in Finland are used to live not only side by side but also in some cases hand in hand even if we still have a lot of homework to do in our own churches. Therefore we have theological discussions between our churches. These discussions have taken place every second year since the year 1989.  – With the Russian Orthodox Church the dialogue begun already in 1970, the next round will be in Moscow next autumn.

 

It is told here in Finland that the Lutheran Church of Finland is the most Orthodox Lutheran Church in the world and at the same time the Finnish Orthodox Church is the most Lutheran Orthodox Church in the entire world.

 

In the ecumenical sense we are proud of the historical fact that Christianity came to Finland already before the Christendom was divided into the Eastern and Western Churches. The first Christian influences we got at the same time from East and from West. Of course there has been times when relations between Eastern and Western Christianity have not been so friendly, but during hundreds of years we have learned a lot about how to live together and learn more and more from each others´ faith and way of living as church.

 

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland understands herself as a part of Jesus Christ´s one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. The Church values the historical continuity of Christ´s Church and her catholicity. We have our roots in Western Church of the Middle Ages and in the Reformation of the 1500s. Therefore a clear Lutheran identity marks all of our ecumenical contacts.

 

We have been founding members of the Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches, Nordic Ecumenical Council and the Finnish Ecumenical Council. From the very beginning we have been a member church also in Conference of the European Churches.

 

This evening I greet you also as the President of the Finnish Ecumenical Council, which has as members and observers all main churches and denominations in our country.

 

The history of the Finnish Ecumenical Council goes back already to the year 1917, when the Finnish National Committee of the World Alliance -movement was founded. The initiative was then taken at the request of the Swedish Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, an important leader in the formation of the modern ecumenical movement.

 

At the present there are 12 member churches and 19 observer organisations. The Catholic Church in Finland joined the Council already in 1968 and the Swedish Speaking Pentecostals were received as observers this year.

 

The importance of this relatively small body is perhaps mainly seen in the large network of persons, appointed by member churches and observers. These representatives are involved in the nine committees of the Council working on a wide scale of issues from Faith and Order to social-ethical issues. The main occasions during the Jubilee Year 2000 were in Finland organised by the churches together and now the Finnish Ecumenical Council is preparing the Ecumenical Kirchentag - Church Gathering - for the year 2003.

 

The Orthodox Archbishop John presided the Council many years until 1999. The General Secretary of the Council is pastor Jan Edström from the Swedish Speaking Baptist Church in Finland.

 

This gives for me an opportunity to introduce to you, Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Archbishop Leo, the Archbishop of All Finland and the Carelia, and Pastor Jan Edström, the General Secretary of the Finnish Ecumenical Council.

 

I wish you a pleasant evening and God´s blessing for all your discussions and work for the unity of the Church and the well-being of the World Council of Churches.