en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en ru en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en fr en en en en en nl en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en sv en en de en en en en en de en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en
A Lutheran bishop from Finland has told Pope Francis that his Church plans to issue an historic apology to Europe's only indigenous people
By Anaëlle Chocteau | Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has announced plans to issue an historic apology to the Sámi people, who are indigenous to the Finnish nation and several other Nordic countries.
"We are also coming to the moment when the entire Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland, and other churches, should apologize to the Sámi," Lutheran Bishop Jukka Keskitalo of Oulu told Pope Francis on Monday during a meeting at the Vatican.
"Repentance and a possible apology concern the abuses and structural sins of the past that continue to affect people's lives," said the bishop who was part of the Finnish ecumenical delegation, which comes to Rome each year during the January 18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The delegation included representatives of the Sámi people and the pope had special words for them.
"May God accompany you on the journey toward reconciliation and healing of memory, and make all Christians free and determined in the earnest search for truth!" he said.
The Sámi, currently numbering around 100,000 members, are the only recognized indigenous people of Europe. They are found in the Arctic, the northernmost regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden, and also on the Russian Kola Peninsula.
They make their living from traditional reindeer herding.
The Sámi have been in contact with Christianity since the 11th century, but it was not until the end of the 18th century that they became predominantly Christian.
A people in search of justice
For most of the 20th century, the Finnish government considered the Sámi as uncivilized and inferior.
Finland conducted a "racial biology" research program on the Sámi until the 1970s, while assimilation policies in effect until at least the 1960s forced children to attend Finnish-language schools where they were beaten or punished if they spoke their own language.
For many years, the Sámi have been waiting for an apology from the states in which their territories are located.
The Lutheran Church of Finland began this process in 2012 when Bishop Samuel Salmi, head of the Diocese of Oulu from 2000-2018, apologized for his Church's misconduct towards the Sámi.
At the time, he referred to the institution's role in racial studies conducted during the 1930s.
In order to make amends for past mistakes, the Finnish government opened a Truth and Reconciliation Commission last October to investigate what really happened in the state.
The goal is to prevent such actions from happening again.
According to the official website of the Finnish prime minister's office, "the aim of the commission is to collect the Sámi people's experiences of the actions of the Finnish state and its various authorities".
The first meeting of the commission took place in December in the arctic town of Inari and its final report is expected to be published in 2023.
Investigation processes in Sweden and Norway
Bishop Keskitalo suggested that the Church of Finland's wait until after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has completed its work before issuing an apology.
"It is not possible -- and not worthwhile -- to apologize until the painful events have been experienced together honestly and a common understanding has been established about what happened," he argued.
The Sámi are demanding that other countries, especially Norway and Sweden, also acknowledge their role in discriminating against Europe's only indigenous people.
Two official reports were published in 2016 in Sweden. They investigated the complicated relationship between the Church and the Sámi people, including looking at the case of "nomadic schools."
Archbishop Antje Jackelen, Primate of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, apologized last November for the Church's role over centuries in carrying "grave violations of human dignity" against the Sámi people.
He announced that the Church has set up a "reconciliation plan" of 3.9 million euros over ten years.
Meanwhile, Norway launched a 12-member Truth and Reconciliation Commission in June 2018 and is expected to deliver its report sometime this year.
Get the latest from La Croix International. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter.
You may also like
Middle Eastern Christians overjoyed with Christian Unity theme recalling the Magi
The Christ Life and Synodality
Bishop reprimands “protagonists” for drug-related violence in Colombia
Pope gives Caritas cash to help migrants stuck at Poland-Belarus border
An uncertain future for neo-Tridentine religious communities
SUPPORT LA CROIX INTERNATIONAL’S COMMUNITY OF READERS
Support La Croix International's unique blend of international Catholic journalism by making it available to people in Asia and Africa who can't afford a subscription and often don't have credit cards to pay for it either.
Synodal virtues: valuing and extending theological education
Recently ordained Congolese bishop is big on synodality
Church leaders should engage social media’s Catholic influencers
The business of simply living a normal social life
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
Why Pope Francis did not attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Elizabeth II, the “last Christian monarch”, has died
A challenge for Europe
Shaking up the economy
Peace, our common good
For 70 years she “was” the United Kingdom
Cooperation rather than competition
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Francis continues his push for a humbler, more open Church
The pope and the praying menace
What was the August meeting of cardinals really about?
Is Christian hospitality enough?
"What fraternity does assisted suicide build?"
Live, learn, forget, repeat
When timing is paramount
The pandemic, Christian faith and the perils of kids living in the digital world
"It’s been powerful to watch people enunciate a theology of care for creation"
Laudato si’ guides Indian archdiocese to help fisherfolk
Brazilian bishops stand up for the Yanomami people
The Gaia Man, James Lovelock
Pope calls for a new relationship with God, others and Creation
| Catholic Digest | UCAN | Living in faith | La Croix Africa | La Croix español
About Us | Contact Us| Newsletter Sign-up| Donate| Terms and Conditions| FAQ| La Croix| Confidentiality Policy| Sitemap