Bishop Väisänen’s response

For background, see here. Here is the text of the legal response by bishop Matti Väisänen to the disciplinary charge against him by the Tampere Cathedral Chapter, dated 27 July 2010. As is now known, the Cathedral Chapter decided on 11 August 2010 to divest bishop Väisänen of clerical standing in the Evangelical Lutheran Church…

Finnish Mission Province bishop defrocked

Bishop Matti Väisänen, recently consecrated as assistant bishop in the Mission Province in Sweden and Finland, has been defrocked by the Tampere Cathedral Chapter. There's an inaccurate English-language report on the matter on the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation's web page. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer…

Finnish “Lutheran” “church” elects first female “bishop”

LWF General Secretary Congratulates Helsinki Bishop-Elect GENEVA, 3 June 2010 (LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko today congratulated Rev. Irja Askola and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) on the election of pastor Askola as the bishop of Helsinki. She becomes the first female bishop in the…