Pastor on trial for refusing to work with female minister: CEN 11.09.07 p 6 November 11, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of Finland, Women Priests.trackback
A Lutheran pastor who declined to celebrate the Eucharist with a woman priest has been charged with “criminal discrimination” by prosecutors in Finland.
The Rev. Ari Norro, a member of the traditionalist Lutheran Evangelical Association in Finland (LEAF) was invited to preach in March at a parish church in Hyvinkää. Upon arriving at the church, he found a woman priest had been scheduled to celebrate the Eucharist.
Mr. Norro told the church wardens he could not in good conscience participate in the service as he did not believe in the validity of women’s orders. He offered to withdraw, but the woman priest left instead.
After a complaint of discrimination was filed, charges were brought by the Hyvinkää District Prosecutor against Mr. Norro for “criminal discrimination”, while charges were laid against the parish rector and leader of the local LEAF branch for facilitating the discrimination.
The Helsingin Sanomat reported last month that a charge of criminal discrimination was warranted as the female priest was victimized due to gender in her workplace. Trial has been set for Nov 16.
Traditionalist leaders within Finland’s state church have protested the enforcement of civil discrimination laws in theological disputes, and see the prosecution as the “thin end of the wedge” in bringing about change.
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