CV NEWS FEED // A new bishop was welcomed this weekend in Finland, where the number of Catholics is so small the entire country is composed of a single diocese.
After four years without a bishop, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius celebrated the consecration mass for Father Raimo Goyarrola on Saturday. The ceremonial mass at St John’s Church in Helsinki was attended by nearly 50 bishops and priests from across the world.
According to local news reports, Finland’s previous bishop Teemu Sippo retired in 2019. Sippo was the first Finnish Catholic bishop in the country since the Reformation.
Goyarrola, who was appointed by Pope Francis in September, is originally from the Basque Country in Spain. His previous post was vicar general of the Diocese of Helsinki.
The new bishop has also served as chaplain at the University Residence in Tavasttähti, religious education teacher at several Helsinki public schools, member of the executive staff and the Ethics Committee of the Ecumenical Council, and a military chaplain.
The Holy Father told Goyarrola following the appointment, “to follow the nose of the flock, because the flock knows where to graze,” according to reports.
Pope Francis also sent a message to Catholics in Finland, encouraging them “to be leaven: sometimes it is not seen, it is small, but that is where the dough will grow. The dough of the whole society. “
Finland’s Diocese of Helsinki has an estimated 17,000 parishioners across eight parishes.
