"But this speaker, is he Lutheran or Catholic?". This is what a German Lutheran bishop asked the person sitting next to him in amazement. This was the case at the recent International Symposium on Luther and the sacraments held at the Roman Gregorian University in February of this year. The speaker in this case was Jari Jolkkonen, Lutheran bishop of Kuopio, a Finnish city. The topic of his presentation was the sacrament of the Eucharist according to Luther. This symposium was sponsored, among others, by the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. About 300 people attended, mostly from Germany. A total of 15 theologians from Finland participated from both confessions, in response to the express invitation of the Pontifical Council itself.
"But this speaker, is he Lutheran or Catholic?". Although the reason for this exclamation starts from a perplexity that is at least distant, it seems to me to evidence very well the difference between the current German Lutheran and Finnish theology. This question is at the heart of the work that we are developing in the official Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue group in Finland. For three years now we have been meeting six Lutheran and six Catholic theologians to study and deepen our understanding of the Church, the Eucharist and the ordained ministry. The joint document is progressing. Our goal is to present it to the Holy Father next October.
This time of conversation and personal contact has helped us to realize how close we are in professing the same faith, with some explanatory differences that do not imply opposing or incompatible contents. In the minds of our Lutheran co-workers, they consider themselves closer to Catholics than to German Lutherans. And so it is. The situation in our country is unique. It is said that comparisons are usually not good, and perhaps even less so in the ecumenical sphere, but the reality shows that the ecumenical dialogue with Lutherans in the Nordic countries is light years away from that in the center of Europe. Within the Nordic countries, Finland is also special, I would say exceptional.
Peculiar Lutheran reform in Finland
This exception in Finland is largely due to historical reasons. The Christian faith came from the hands of St. Henrik, the first bishop assigned to a proper see in Finland at the beginning of the 12th century. The Lutheran Reformation entered our country at the hands of the King of Sweden, to whose crown the Finnish lands belonged. All Lutheran historians have recognized that the fundamental motive was economic and social. The Catholic Church in Finland was a living Church, rooted in the hearts and consciences of the Finnish people.
The Lutheran Reformation as a theological, liturgical and disciplinary concept was gradually penetrating into the modus credendi et vivendi of the Finnish people and hierarchy. In fact, it has been documented that until after 1600, tabernacles and Eucharistic worship were still preserved in several churches scattered along the southwest coast, where the majority of the population lived. The Finns did not have to ostentatiously emphasize, as was done in Germany, their separation from Rome. The Finnish people were simple and pious. Today, more than 80 stone churches are preserved. Considering that most of the churches built were made of wood and burned down, this number speaks of a widespread and deep faith: wherever several families lived in a small village, they had their own church.
Mikael Agrikola is considered the first Lutheran bishop. He studied in Germany, where he met Luther and his desire for reform. On his return to Finland he devoted much effort to the translation of Holy Scripture, liturgical texts and prayers into Finnish. He was elected bishop, already in separation with the see of Peter, by the king of Sweden. But Agrikola did not see with good eyes a Church submitted to the temporal power. He wanted to stage this dissatisfaction by returning to the liturgical vestments used in Catholic times, and made a missal based on the old Catholic missal approved for Finland.
In fact, in Finland the line of an episcopal succession and a liturgy that has continued to develop parallel to the Roman one has been preserved. In the current ecumenical dialogue we are studying whether they have also preserved the apostolic succession. The Lutherans claim this. This is a delicate issue, since apostolic succession is not understood without Tradition and without universal communion in the episcopatus unus et indivisus. Some fundamental differences in the field of morals, and the introduction in 1986 of the ordination of women, speak to us of a possible deep breach not only of a pastoral but also of a doctrinal component. These are issues that we face and will face with sincerity, respect for the truth and trust in divine grace.
Council of Churches in Finland
The Ecumenical Council of Churches was established in Finland just over 100 years ago. For some years now, the Catholic Church in Finland has also been a full member of the Council. There is always a representative of the Catholic Church on its standing committee. A lot has been done and a lot of progress has been made. To give an example, it can be said, without exaggeration, that Finland is the birthplace of the most affective and effective worldwide rapprochement with the Pentecostal Community. Here we had an official meeting with representatives of both confessions, in which delegates sent by the Holy See also participated. Something special happened at that meeting. The Holy Spirit touched the minds and hearts of everyone. Something like suddenly a veil disappeared that made it difficult to see the face of the other interlocutor as a brother in Christ. And this happened in Finland.
The Orthodox Church of Finland, dependent on the Patriarchate of Constantinople, has about 60,000 faithful (almost 2 % of the population). With it there is a fraternal relationship full of affection and trust. They allow us to use their temples to celebrate Holy Mass on Sundays, due to the scarcity of Catholic parishes. On one occasion, after their Divine Liturgy which I attended in their cathedral in Helsinki, I was surrounded by priests and deacons exclaiming with sorrow, but with hope: "When will we be one Church!". We agreed that we need to pray, purify ourselves and dialogue more. In fact, months later, we organized a theological conference where we discussed the sacraments and the Petrine ministry. It was a unique experience to realize that we are practically one and the same Church. It was agreed that the Petrine ministry would be discussed in more detail at a later date. No one doubts that it is the main stumbling block.
Ecumenism is necessary. The great challenge, in my very personal opinion, is not to reduce it to talking about and dealing only with what unites us. It is important to enter into themes and aspects in which there are differences of appreciation. A real risk that we are feeling in the Ecumenical Council is to focus only on social issues, injustices, immigration, violence, wars. We have to be courageous to face theological issues that separate us, as John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have insisted several times. Without fear or prejudice, but we have to deal with anthropology, sacramentology, marital morality, bioethics, etc.
Together with both the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Orthodox Church, we are going to develop a theological agenda for the coming years, where we can get to know each other better and try to iron out possible differences. Undoubtedly, for this we count on the light of the Holy Spirit.
Ecumenical delegation in Rome
For almost 30 years, a pilgrimage to Rome has been organized on the feast of St. Henrik, patron saint of Finland. videre Petrum. This ecumenical delegation meets uninterruptedly with the Pope every January. It is a small delegation, only 10 people. On the Catholic side, the bishop of Helsinki, whose diocese includes the whole country, is present, accompanied by a priest who takes turns with others every year. On the Lutheran side, a bishop participates, also in turn, with some pastors. This official reception of the Pope is exceptional. It began after John Paul II's trip to Finland in 1989. He came back very impressed by what he saw here. On his return to Rome, he showed his interest in strengthening the dialogue with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
The atmosphere of these meetings is very pleasant and familiar. There are official speeches, obviously. But the atmosphere is not "official" at all. This meeting with the Pope is followed or preceded by a guided visit to the tomb of St. Peter, where we pray for unity. In addition, every year we alternate the celebration of a Catholic Mass and a Lutheran liturgical service, also called by them "Mass". With special permission from the Holy See, at the Catholic Mass the Lutheran bishop preaches the homily, and at the Lutheran Mass the Catholic bishop preaches. In addition, on these days we pray the Liturgy of the Hours together.
This private meeting with the Pope, together with the visit to the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, where we had a conversation with its president, are another example of the exceptional situation we are experiencing in Finland.
Dialogue: Church, Eucharist and Ministry
But let us return to the bilateral theological dialogue with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. We had the last session in Rome just before the above-mentioned symposium. Previously, Cardinal Kurt Koch had visited us in Helsinki in 2015. He offered us some guidelines that we could follow when drafting the document. And there we set out with great enthusiasm. Starting from the mystery of the Church and its sacramentality, we could focus on the sacrament of the Eucharist. It would be a matter of examining with theological honesty and in depth what the Eucharist means, its liturgical celebration as a memorial of Christ's redemptive sacrifice on the Cross, as Communion and as the real and substantial presence of Christ. In the face of such an immense mystery, we should ask ourselves if there is any other way to understand the Eucharist. mysteryanother sacramento that makes the Eucharist possible. For this we would study the ordained ministry and its apostolicity, the episcopate and its sacramentality, the ministry of unity and its necessity.
I do not anticipate the results. I only ask for prayers. Cardinal Koch, in his opening speech at the aforementioned symposium, referred to our Finnish dialogue as a worldwide reference document. Among us Finns, a kind of healthy pride was born, as well as a sense of enormous responsibility. So far we have taken several giant steps in the doctrinal rapprochement between our two Churches. What if, with God's grace, we dare to take a further leap forward? This will be seen before next Christmas.
"Cum Petro", without hesitation. "Sub Petro, open possibility
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has its headquarters in Turku, the ancient capital of Finland, then a territory subject to the kingdom of Sweden. That was the first episcopal see, from which St. Henrik promoted the evangelization of the country. Today, there are many Lutheran archbishops of that city who present themselves as successors of St. Henrik. It may sound like an honorific title or a mere anecdote, but the fact is that according to a widespread feeling within the Lutheran hierarchy, the present Evangelical Lutheran Church is the continuation of the Catholic Church in Finland. On the one hand, this is clearly not the case. And this causes some misunderstandings. But on the other hand, it says a lot about the underlying idea: they feel they are in continuity with the Catholic Church of the 16th century and in a certain way in communion with Peter.
Today, any Christian in the ecumenical sphere would accept the desirability of a ministry of unity for the whole Church of Christ. Many would even look favorably upon the subject of such a ministry in the Pope. Finland, as always, is ahead of the curve. Not only is this ministry of unity desirable, it is also necessary. The Evangelical Lutheran Church accepts a ministry of unity, and this would be the Petrine ministry. The communion cum Petro is necessary to be in communion with the universal Church. The question arises when one asks what it means to be in communion with the universal Church. sub Petro. In the dialogue we are jointly trying to answer this crucial question. God willing, the paper will provide an answer with the Finnish Lutheran conditions for accepting the sub Petro.
Church on the way out
I like to consider, and I said it personally to Pope Francis last month, that the last word Jesus spoke before ascending to heaven was "Finland". "I will be with you until the end of the world.". On a two-dimensional map of the earth, at least in Europe, Finland is on top of it. The snows and ices of separation are melting. By praying, dialoguing and working together that divine water will also irrigate other countries and ecumenical dialogues.
The time has come to proclaim the Gospel together. There is no more time to lose. The world, suffocated by so much personal and social sickness, cries out for hydration, oxygenation and spiritual nourishment. The common witness of the Word of God, sustained by common prayer, will lead us to unity.
On the occasion of a long trip to northern Finland, I spent the night at the home of a good friend of mine, a Lutheran pastor. The next morning, obviously with his permission, I celebrated Mass in the living room. He participated very piously by answering the various prayers. At the end of the Mass I thanked him for being able to celebrate Mass. With eyes wet with tears, he replied that it was he who thanked me for celebrating Mass, because "for the first time Jesus has been physically in my house"..
In short, ecumenism is to let Jesus into our home, into every heart, every community, every Church. Only He, with the power of the Holy Spirit, can carry out his own petition to the Father: "ut unum sint". And in Finland the Spirit is blowing hard. n
Some references
- St. Henry (Henrik). Apostle and first bishop based in Finland, he lived in the 12th century. On his feast day (January 19) an ecumenical delegation goes to Rome.
- Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa). He reigned in Sweden from 1523. He established Protestantism in the country.
- Mikael Agrikola. First Lutheran bishop, died in 1557. He is considered the first writer in the Finnish language.
- Percentages. 73.7 % of Finns are Lutheran, 2 % Orthodox and 0.2 % Catholic.
Omnes correspondent in Finland.
