Heinävesi, North Karelia, Finland, November 29, 2024
Photo: wp.com
The autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Constantinople elected a new primate yesterday.
Archbishop Leo of Helsinki, who has led the Finnish Church since 2001, announced in May his desire to retire by the end of 2024, which was later approved by the Patriarchate.
At the last session of the Local Council yesterday, held at New Valaam Monastery, delegates chose Metropolitan Ilia of Oulu as the next Finnish primate, with 24 votes, as opposed to Bishop Sergius of Hamina’s 9 votes, reports the Finnish Church.
Met. Ilia traveled to Constantinople today for the patronal feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. The Synod will meet tomorrow to formally elect and confirm the new Finnish primate. He will return to Finland late on Monday evening.
He will be installed as Archbishop of Helsinki in Holy Dormition Cathedral on December 15.
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Met. Ilia was born December 8, 1961, in Kajaani to an Orthodox mother and father who converted to Orthodoxy in old age.
After completing secondary education in Kajaani (1981), he studied Swedish, Czech, and phonetics at Stockholm University. From 1983-1986, he studied at Stockholm’s Pedagogical Institute to become a school teacher.
He taught school in Sweden for eight years while continuing language studies, and worked as a guide in the Czech Republic for two years.
He converted to Orthodoxy in Helsinki in 1994. From 1996-2001, he studied Orthodox theology at the University of Joensuu while serving as a church singer and reader.
He earned a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Seminary (2001-2003) in New York.
Metropolitan Ambrose of Helsinki ordained him to the diaconate on May 29, 2003, in Espoo. Archbishop Leo ordained him to the priesthood on September 1, 2003, in Jyväskylä’s Holy Resurrection Church, where he served as second priest.
From 2006, he served as rector of the Vaasa parish and managed the Finnish Orthodox Church’s English website.
On November 26, 2014, he was elected Metropolitan of Oulu (17 of 34 votes). He was tonsured a monk with the name Ilia on December 16, 2014, and elevated to archimandrite on December 17.
On January 11, 2015, he was consecrated to the episcopacy and enthroned as metropolitan in Oulu’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.
He speaks Finnish, Polish, Czech, English, German, and some Russian.
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