Supreme Administrative Court rules opponent of female clergy cannot be appointed as a vicar

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A male pastor who refuses to cooperate with a female member of the clergy in the officiation of church services cannot be appointed as a vicar.
      This was the ruling handed down in two cases on Friday by the Supreme Administrative Court (KHO).
      The Court heard of events at the parish elections to appoint a vicar in Kalanti and in Kokemäki, in November 2007 and March 2006 respectively.
     
In the first case the male applicant for the position had given some evasive responses to the question of working with a female member of the clergy in the course of the normal interview with the Diocesan Chapter.
      The Chapter interpreted the answers as indicating that the applicant was not prepared under all circumstances to work alongside a female pastor at the altar.
      In the Kokemäki case, the male applicant stated directly that as a consequence of his personal religious convictions he was unable to officiate alongside a female colleague in ecclesiastical matters.
     
The Diocesan Chapter of the Archdiocese of Turku reached the conclusion that both men were not fit to become parish vicars. Both parishes were located in the west of Finland and so the cases came under the jurisdiction of the Turku Archdiocese.
      Among other things the Act on Equality requires that male and female members of the clergy cannot be placed in a different position based on their gender.
      The two unsuccessful applicants appealed to the Turku Adminstrative Court and later to the Supreme Administrative Court, but in both cases their appeals were rejected.
     
In their complaint to the higher courts, the men pointed out that in neither Kalanti nor Kokemäki were there any female clergy on the parish staff.
      According to the courts, it was not sufficient merely to consider the current situation.
      A vicar who takes a negative view of women in the clergy, and who - by virtue of his position - would have seniority and authority in the parish, can hinder the applications of women for clerical posts and can thereby prevent the parishioners from receiving pastoral services from both male and female officials of the church.
     
The General Synod of Finland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church opened up the priesthood to women from 1986, and the first women were ordained in 1987.
      Around one-third of the Finnish Lutheran pastors are now women.
      Vestiges of opposition still exist, both among some members of the clergy and in the general population.
      Some years ago there was even an abortive attempt to establish a separate diocese for opponents, with a bishop who would ordain theologians who found the idea of female clergy unacceptable.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Lutheran opponents of ordination of women want their own diocese (30.8.2002)
  Court fines Lutheran pastors for job discrimination against woman colleague (3.12.2007)
  Showdown coming over attitudes toward women pastors (27.3.2007)
  Church committee: Male clergy must not refuse to work with women colleagues (12.9.2006)

Links:
  Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

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