On 22nd October 2010, our Supreme Court gave this verdict:
The Finnish Suspreme [sic!] Court found on Friday that a conservative clergyman of the Lutheran Evangelical Association of Finland, who was a guest pastor at a Sunday service of the Hyvinkää congregation of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, had been guilty of gender discrimination when he refused to work alongside a woman pastor, Petra Pohjanraitio, in 2007.
Pohjanraitio had been scheduled to serve at the altar, handing out communion. However, before the service, she was told by the visiting pastor that his apostolic beliefs prevented him from working with a woman pastor at the altar.
The Supreme Court did not accept the religious freedom argument, saying that the visiting pastor’s belief did not excuse the violation of human rights, such as gender discrimination.
Full article here: http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Woman+ ... 5261096454
Today, 12th November 2010 (three weeks after the above described Supreme Court decision), the General Synod of ELCoF makes this decision:
Full article here: http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/11/ ... 34228.htmlA meeting of the General Synod of Finland's Evangelical Lutheran Church voted Friday to permit pastors to offer prayers on behalf of same-sex couples. The vote was postponed by a day because of extended debate on the issue.
The annual meeting of representatives of Finland's dominant church approved a committee proposal that allows pastors to pray on behalf of same-sex couples, but not offer a blessing as is done in traditional weddings. The prayers will not be classed as a formal church service. This means that pastors will not be required to offer prayers for same-sex couples.
The audacious, willful stupidity of this - it hurts.
. And then when they come back, they can 
