Finland’s Catholic Church says it is unfortunate that Finland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church has elected a woman to serve as a bishop, reports the newspaper Kotimaa. Lutherans in Finland elected Irja Askola as Bishop of Helsinki earlier this month. She is to become the country's first-ever female bishop when she takes over the post in September.
The Finnish Catholic Church says that selecting a woman to serve as a bishop puts even more distance between the two churches.
“We are sorry to see that a woman was picked to serve as a bishop. We have nothing personal against Irja Askola, but this decision breaks with tradition,” says Teemu Sippo, the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Catholic Church in Finland.
However, Sippo did not say he would refuse to work with Askola.
SIC: YLE