In a historic shift, the Bishops' Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) has approved a compromise that could pave the way to church weddings for same-sex couples.
The 10-member conference will propose to the church's highest decision-making body, the General Synod, that a provision on parallel concepts of marriage be added to the church order.
In the first of these, marriage is understood as between a man and a woman, and in the second, marriage is understood as between two people. This would allow ELCF priests to marry same-sex couples.
Final decision expected in May
The Bishops' Conference approved the proposal to change the church order in its meeting on Tuesday. The next Bishops' Conference meeting in April will make a formal proposal to the Synod, where approval would require support from three quarters of the representatives.
The General Synod is expected to make the final decision at its next meeting in May. The 109-member body is mostly made up of laypeople.
Archbishop Tapio Luoma described the bishops' decision as significant.
"We are taking a big step to move the long-standing marriage debate forward. According to the presentation, all couples can receive a church wedding. This would also be the first time that the Synod clearly describes both marriage positions, including the current one," Luoma commented.
There has been a long-running debate about the concept of marriage within the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In the past, the church synod has considered half a dozen equal-marriage models to resolve the issue.
Finland's law on marriage equality came into force six years ago, but the state-supported church has declined to marry same-sex couples.
Some priests who have blessed or ordained gay couples have faced pushback and formal complaints. Some have been issued written citations by diocesan judicial bodies, but these have been annulled by administrative courts.
The ELCF is one of the country’s two state-supported churches, along with the Orthodox Church. ELCF membership has dropped sharply from 95 percent in 1950 to 85 percent in 2000, falling to around 65 percent in 2022.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Finland in March 2017. In January, neighbouring Estonia became the first former Soviet-ruled country to legalise gay marriage.
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