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In the mid-sixties Juva made a detour from his academic and church
responsibilities into national politics. He became the chairperson of the
Liberal Party (1965-1968) and was a member of the Finnish parliament from
1964 to 1966. This experience and his knowledge of national politics
contributed to his alertness and realism concerning issues of Christian
political and social responsibility and to his preparation for leadership in
the LWF and later on in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

In 1970 Juva was elected LWF president for a period of seven years at the LWF
Fifth Assembly at Evian, France. Juva had previously become known in the LWF
as the local coordinator of the Helsinki Assembly (1963) and as an active and
influential chairperson of the LWF Commission on Theology (1963-1970).

In 1978 Juva was elected archbishop of Turku and primate of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Finland. He went into early retirement in 1982. 

"During his presidency, Juva underlined strongly the character of the LWF as
an organization of the Lutheran churches and thus laid the ground work for
the present understanding of the LWF as a communion of churches," said LWF
General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko in his tribute. 

Many within the LWF will remember Mikko Juva not just because of his
theological, historical and political insights, but also for his passion as a
botanist; when he, at suitable moments during LWF meetings, took brief breaks
to fields, mountains, and forests to add rare species to his collection.

The LWF cherishes his memory in gratitude for his major contribution to the
worldwide Lutheran communion in an important period of transition. 
(516 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7 million of the 65.4 million
Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas
of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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LWI online at: http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html 

LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
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Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30 
Editor's e-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org