ROME — The journey of Father Raimo Goyarrola Belda, a Spanish priest of the personal prelature of Opus Dei, to become the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki began almost 20 years ago.
As Bishop Goyarrola recounts, in 2005 Bishop Józef Wróbel invited numerous bishops, including Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, prelate of Opus Dei, to Helsinki for the anniversary of the diocese.
“After the Mass, there was a lunch at the bishopric, during which the bishop asked the prelate of Opus Dei: ‘Please send me a priest,'” recalls the new bishop of 54 years old. “And I don’t know why, but he thought of me.”
Although he was initially hesitant to send one of his priests, the Opus Dei prelate eventually called Father Goyarrola to ask if he would consider moving to Finland.
“I responded very quickly: ‘Yes; Yes !’ », recounted Mgr Goyarrola. Even though the prelate of Opus Dei told the young priest to pray and think about his decision, since moving to Finland meant not only moving to another country but also getting used to “another culture and another language,” Bishop Goyarrola explained that he knew it. It was God’s will: “I was ready to go to Finland. »
The Opus Dei priest, aged around 30, arrived in Finland in 2006, where he began his pastoral work as a university chaplain, military chaplain and religion teacher in public schools. In addition to administering the sacraments in Finnish parishes, Father Goyarrola was also entrusted with the special mission of serving the Spanish-speaking community of Finland. In 2011 he was appointed diocesan vicar general of Helsinki.
“An ecumenical celebration”
On September 29, 2023, during a mass celebrated at St. Henry’s Cathedral in Helsinki, the Apostolic Nuncio for the Nordic countries, Mgr. Julio Murat, announced the appointment of Father Goyarrola as the new bishop of Helsinki. Then, on November 25, Father Goyarrola was consecrated Bishop of Helsinki in St. John’s Lutheran Church (known locally as Johanneksenkirkko). Thanks to ecumenical dialogue in Finland, the Diocese of Helsinki is allowed to use the buildings of Lutheran and Orthodox churches in 25 cities across the country for Catholic worship.
“Our cathedral in Helsinki is very small,” said Archbishop Goyarrola. “There may be enough seats for 200 people, but in the Lutheran church Johanneksenkirkko, there is seating for more than 2,000 people.
Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm presided over the ordination, which was attended by many ecumenical representatives.
“More than 2,000 people attended my consecration,” the bishop recalls. “It was incredible; it was truly an ecumenical celebration. There were of course many Catholics, but also many Lutherans, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists and Anglicans. It was like a council in the church!
Also present at the ordination service was Benedictine Father Augustinus Sander, head of the Dicastery for Christian Unity, who presented a special greeting from Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the dicastery. Sharing the joy of the Catholic Church of Finland but also that of the entire Finnish ecumenical contingent, Cardinal Koch encouraged the new bishop of Helsinki in his service in favor of unity, affirming that the new bishop “The truly Catholic heart beats for ecumenism. »
Recalling the many graces that the Church of Finland has received in its ecumenical efforts, Bishop Goyarrola said: “I believe that ecumenism is a key to world peace. In fact, I believe that the present and future of the world depend on this unity among Christians.
Christian Unity since the Reformation
Despite the growing number of religious denominations throughout the country, unity among Christians is not something foreign to Finnish history and culture, the bishop explained.
“During the first four centuries (after its Christianization), Finland was Catholic,” said Mgr Goyarrola, emphasizing that Finland was then part of Sweden.
“Then came the Reformation. But it was, let’s say, a political reform,” argued Archbishop Goyarrola. In fact, when King Gustav Vasa of Sweden – which at the time included Finland – broke away from the Catholic Church in 1527 and violently established Lutheranism as the state religion, historians have argued that he was not so much about his religious beliefs as his religious beliefs. because it was about freeing Sweden from foreign economic and political interests such as the Union of Kalmar with Denmark, the Hanseatic League of Lübeck and the Catholic Church of Rome.
Due to the political, not religious, nature of the Reformation, “Finland remained very Catholic even after the Reformation,” the bishop continued, explaining that even decades after the Reformation there was still a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary and to various saints among the Finns. and Eucharistic adoration in churches across the country.
For this reason, explains Archbishop Goyarrola, “there was and still is a very fine line between the Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church in Finland. In fact, I think that the Lutheran Church in Finland is the closest Lutheran Church to the Catholic Church in the whole world. »
“We are very close both in theology and liturgy, but also in heart and spirit,” the bishop said.
A small but growing church
Comparing the size of Finland to that of Italy, the new Finnish bishop pointed out that while Italy today has 225 dioceses and archdioceses, Finland has only one diocese. Furthermore, unlike the 25,000 parishes scattered across Italy, Finland has only “eight parishes and 25 priests.”
“We travel a lot by car and train,” explains Mgr. Goyarrola, “because it is a very big country and there are many Catholics throughout the country.”
On Sunday, he explained, each priest may be required to celebrate three or four masses in churches sometimes 200 kilometers apart.
Officially, there are around 18,000 Catholics in Finland, which represents 0.3% of the population. Even though the numbers are small, the Catholic Church in Finland is “a growing Church,” Archbishop Goyarrola emphasized. “Every year, (the Church welcomes) 500 to 600 new Catholics, either through baptism or through immigration.”
Like the Church in other Nordic countries, the Catholic Church in Finland is an “immigrant Church”: only half of the registered Catholics are native Finns.
“He is truly a Catholic Church because there are more than 115 nationalities,” added the bishop. “The key is to understand that Catholicism unifies,” he added, explaining that despite their diversity, Finnish Catholics are united in and by virtue of Christ. “It is for this reason that the Catholic Church in Finland is truly Catholic because it is A.»
Ultimately, where you come from is not as important as where you are going, the bishop emphasized. “We all want to go to heaven. And it also unifies us.
“Preach the Gospel with your life”
Reflecting on the challenges of evangelization in such a vast country, with such a diverse Catholic population and so few priests, Archbishop Goyarrola emphasized that everyone, regardless of their state of life or vocation, is called to preach the Gospel. .
“It is with our testimony, our testimony of faith, our friendship with our friends, our love, our advice to someone who needs our advice, our prayers for him, our conversations about God, about family, about life”, explained the new bishop. , that we can evangelize today’s society.
Although being the only Catholic at school or at work can be a harsh reality for many, Archbishop Goyarrola said, it is also “an opportunity to preach the Gospel with your life, your hope and your joy, just as the first Christians did it.
Comparing the evangelization efforts of the Church in Finland to those of the first Christians who gave witness to Christ through their faithful lives, the bishop added: “In a certain way, every Christian is a Church since every Christian belongs to the body of Christ” and as such, “every Christian is called to evangelization”.
“And in Finland,” the bishop continued, “where there are so few of us (Catholics), evangelization is very important, because if you do not preach the Gospel with your life, there is no one there. ‘other to do it.”
Problems to solve and dreams to realize
“I usually say that on my table there are two very long lists,” said Archbishop Goyarrola. “A list is a list of problems and challenges, and it is very, very long. But on my right side, I have a list of dreams, and it is longer than the list of problems.
Among his many hopes for the Church in Finland, the new bishop cited vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but also to the sacrament of holy marriage.
“Often, when we talk about vocations, we only think of the priesthood,” says the bishop. “But faithful marriages are just as important. If there are faithful marriages, there are children, and if there are children, there are vocations.
Nursing homes for the elderly, palliative care units for the sick, as well as Catholic schools and summer camps for children also top the bishop’s dream list.
“We must pray and work together to make these dreams come true,” the bishop said enthusiastically.
Finnish Catholics are a “people faithful to the Gospel and faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ,” the bishop added. “And if you are faithful, wherever you are, you can change the world. »
