During Thursday’s working session of the Church Assembly of the Autonomous Orthodox Church of Finland, Metropolitan Elia of Oulu was elected Archbishop of Helsinki and All Finland. The meeting followed the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Valaam Monastery.
Archbishop Leo, the current Primate of the Autonomous Orthodox Church of Finland, presided over the election process.
Canonical Validation in Constantinople
Archbishop-elect Elia is scheduled to travel to Constantinople on Friday to attend a session of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. During the synodal meeting on December 1, his election will be canonically validated, officially confirming him as Archbishop. Following this confirmation, Archbishop Leo will be released from his canonical responsibilities.
Enthronement Ceremony in Helsinki
Archbishop-elect Elia’s enthronement ceremony will take place on December 15 at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Helsinki. This solemn event will mark the beginning of his tenure as the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church of Finland.
Who Is the New Archbishop of Finland?
Archbishop-elect Elia, 62, was born in Kajaani, Finland on December 8, 1961. He studied at the University of Stockholm between 1983 and 1986 and holds degrees in Swedish, Czech, and phonetics.
After converting to Orthodoxy in 1994, he pursued theological studies at the University of Joensuu from 1996 to 2001. He later completed a master’s program at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York in 2003.
Between 2001 and 2006, he served at the Jyväskylä Parish in Central Finland, and from 2006 to 2014, he was the parish priest of the Vaasa Parish on the Gulf of Bothnia.
He was elected Metropolitan of Oulu on November 26, 2014, a position he held until he was elected Archbishop of Helsinki and All Finland. On December 16, 2014, he was tonsured a monk at New Valaam Monastery (Uusi Valamo), receiving the monastic name Elia (Elijah).
This transition represents a significant moment for the Orthodox Church of Finland, reinforcing its commitment to spiritual leadership and its mission in a modern context.
Photo: Jyri Pitkänen
