wfn.org | Archbishop's election in Finland

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Most votes to Jukka Paarma

HELSINKI, Finland/GENEVA, 28 September 1998 (lwi) - In the September 16
election of nominees for the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
of Finland (ELCF), the dean of the Cathedral of Turku, Doctor of Theology
Jukka Paarma, 55, received the most votes. The bishop of the Diocese of
Kuopio, Docent Wille Riekkinen, 52, came in second, with editor-in-chief of
the Finnish church paper Kotimaa, Dean Jaakko Elenius, 59, following in
third place.

The president of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, will appoint one of the
nominees later this autumn as both the Archbishop of Finland and the
Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Turku. The new archbishop will be
consecrated on Epiphany (January 6) of next year.

The Archdiocese of Turku has had both an archbishop and a bishop since May
of this year, following an ELCF Synod decision that the work load of the
archbishop was too great for one person, owing to heavy churchwide
responsibilities incumbent upon the Archbishop of Finland. Both have full
rights as bishops, and there is an agreed division of duties between them.
The original post will fall vacant when John Vikstrom, Archbishop of
Finland leaves. It was the announcement of his retirement on next December
1 that set in motion the election process.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/