Archbishop Leo of Finland strongly reacted to what he deemed as uncanonical actions by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Onufry, which belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate, within the territory of Finland.
Specifically, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians, including a substantial number of Orthodox Christians, moved to Finland.
The Orthodox Church of Finland extended a cordial invitation to members of both churches – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Onufriy under the Moscow Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine under Metropolitan Epifaniy, who has been granted Autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate – to participate in the life of the parishes of the Orthodox Church of Finland.
In fact, the Orthodox Church of Finland has initiated a four-year project to facilitate the integration of individuals who have recently immigrated to Finland from Ukraine into both Finnish society and local Orthodox communities. The project is coordinated by the Church’s international diakonia and mission organization, Filantropia ry.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Onufry of Kyiv, has established over 80 parishes in Western Europe since the onset of the invasion of Ukraine. The church has been actively seeking a foothold in Finland, addressing the pastoral needs of the Ukrainian community.
In this context, Metropolitan Onufry has appointed Archimandrite Fotij as the official representative of his church in Finland, which provoked the reaction of the Archbishop of Finland.
In a statement, the Archdiocese stressed that “Finland as a whole is an autonomous canonical territory of the Orthodox Church of Finland.”
He continues: The establishment of representations of other Orthodox Churches, canonically separate from our own local Church in our autonomous territory, is unacceptable and contrary to canonical praxis. I have reported this to Archimandrite Fotij and have instructed the parishes of my Diocese to refrain from any contact with him.”
Archbishop Leo considers Archimandrite Fotij’s endeavors to be harmful in every way.
“The Orthodox Church of Finland is renowned in the Orthodox world for its multicultural and inclusive character. We intend to maintain this reputation. Any actions that undermine the unity of our Church will not serve the interests of Ukrainians or anyone else,” he said.
