The Finnish Orthodox Church has encountered disagreements over a prayer for the anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

The prayer for the anniversary of the war has caused disagreements in the Finnish Orthodox Church

The prayer that was planned to be recited during services for the anniversary of the war in Ukraine has sparked disagreements in the Finnish Orthodox Church. It was approved by the head of the church, Archbishop Ilia, but faced opposition from Metropolitan Arsenii. This was reported by 'Hlavkom' citing Yle.

The charity organization Filantropia sent the text of the prayer to Orthodox churches in Finland via email. It includes a request for God's protection for 'the long-suffering Ukraine.'

Archbishop Ilia encourages parishes to commemorate the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine with the accompanying prayer or another appropriate service - either on Sunday, February 23, or on Monday (the actual anniversary of the start of the war),” the letter states.

At the same time, Metropolitan Arsenii prohibited the reading of this prayer in his diocese - Kuopio and Karelia. He allowed a memorial service to be held, but without using the added prayer. In his letter to the clergy, Arsenii explained that holding a service could exacerbate disagreements among parishioners, among whom are both Ukrainians and Russians.

Here a position is taken in favor of one side of the war. Among our parishioners, there are both Ukrainians and Russians. As the bishop of the diocese, I must maintain unity and not divide the community by taking one side,” said the metropolitan.

It should be noted that Helsingin Sanomat reported that Metropolitan Arsenii has already been involved in scandals. In particular, last November, his secretary was dismissed due to threatening behavior after he expressed support for Russian values.