Head of Orthodox Church of Finland: Attitudes toward war in Ukraine divided our Church

This was reported by Yle.

A notable point of contention involves the Russian community residing in Finland. According to Archbishop Elia, some members were taken aback by the Church leadership's support for Ukraine from the onset of the conflict.

The war has not only divided parishioners but has also created tension among the Church's leadership, clergy, and other staff members. Archbishop Elia pointed out that disagreements arise when Church personnel do not align with the Church's unified stance on Ukraine, potentially allowing Russia to exploit these internal conflicts for its own gain.

"We Finns are often too trusting and can be naive. It’s crucial that we remain vigilant and recognize any signs of influence attempts," Archbishop Elia remarked.

He maintains regular communication with the Finnish Security Police (Supo) concerning "Russia's attempts to exert influence and the broader geopolitical landscape," though he refrains from disclosing specific details.

The Archbishop stressed the importance of the Church not adopting a naive stance.

His election as the head of the Orthodox Church was influenced by views towards Russia. In November of the previous year, Elia was elected during a gathering at the Valamo Monastery in Heinävesi that, in part, served as a referendum on the Church’s position towards Russia. Before his election, the main candidates included Metropolitan Arseni (Jorma Heikkinen) and Bishop Sergius of Hamina (Yrjö Rajapolvi). However, Arseni withdrew his candidacy, expressing concerns about his values being questioned due to “incomprehensible statements” published in the Church magazine Aamun Koitto. This publication had reported comments made by Arseni’s secretary, Kai Appelberg, who had posted online remarks praising the Russian Orthodox Church’s values in contrast to those of the Church of Finland.

Appelberg told Yle that he felt exploited in a campaign to tarnish his superior’s reputation before the church council, suggesting attempts to portray him as sympathetic to Russia. Nonetheless, Metropolitan Arseni disagrees with this characterization, citing that his decision to withdraw from the archbishop election was due to the poor management and internal strife within the Helsinki diocese.