The president of a Christian association for LGBT rights, Yhteys-Gemenskap, pastor Liisa Tuovinen (b. 1938, see image)
, has blessed a (female) same-sex couple, Annukka Matilainen och Veera Lange, in a chapel in Kirkkonummi (west of Helsinki) on July 12, 2008.
She then informed her bishop, Mikko Heikka, who said that the diocesan chapter of Espoo will deal with the case only if someone makes a complaint. Not many days went by before not one, but two, complaints were made. Since Tuovinen is no longer in active duty, she cannot be barred from any position within the church; if anything, she can only be defrocked.
Bishop Heikka himself was also the object of a complaint, stating that he had neglected his duty as bishop when he didn't bring the case before the chapter himself, rather than wait for a complaint to be made. All three complaints will be dealt with starting August 19, but it is expected to take several months before the chapter reaches a decision.
A couple of years ago, a complaint was made to the chapter of Helsinki against pastor Leena Huovinen for a similar deed. She was exonerated on February 6, 2007. This is not binding for the chapter of Espoo, since the chapters are largely autonomous in cases like this, but the Helsinki decision will shurely influence Espoo. The process against my colleague Tomas Ray and myself before the chapter of Porvoo in 2007 was not parallel, since we hadn't actually done anything; we had only expressed our opinions. It was unpleasant anyway, of course, although we, too, were exonerated. See links and sources in the Swedish post.
, has blessed a (female) same-sex couple, Annukka Matilainen och Veera Lange, in a chapel in Kirkkonummi (west of Helsinki) on July 12, 2008.She then informed her bishop, Mikko Heikka, who said that the diocesan chapter of Espoo will deal with the case only if someone makes a complaint. Not many days went by before not one, but two, complaints were made. Since Tuovinen is no longer in active duty, she cannot be barred from any position within the church; if anything, she can only be defrocked.
Bishop Heikka himself was also the object of a complaint, stating that he had neglected his duty as bishop when he didn't bring the case before the chapter himself, rather than wait for a complaint to be made. All three complaints will be dealt with starting August 19, but it is expected to take several months before the chapter reaches a decision.
A couple of years ago, a complaint was made to the chapter of Helsinki against pastor Leena Huovinen for a similar deed. She was exonerated on February 6, 2007. This is not binding for the chapter of Espoo, since the chapters are largely autonomous in cases like this, but the Helsinki decision will shurely influence Espoo. The process against my colleague Tomas Ray and myself before the chapter of Porvoo in 2007 was not parallel, since we hadn't actually done anything; we had only expressed our opinions. It was unpleasant anyway, of course, although we, too, were exonerated. See links and sources in the Swedish post.
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