Kari Mäkinen (born 5 January 1955) is the former archbishop of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (; ) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheranism, Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal position as a national church in the country, along with the Orthodox Church o ...

. He was elected the 14th Archbishop of Turku and Finland on 11 March 2010, he was installed on 6 June 2010, and he retired on 1 June 2018. His successor, the 15th Archbishop Tapio Luoma was installed on 3 June 2018. His predecessor was Jukka Paarma. Previously Mäkinen served as vicar of

Ulvila Ulvila (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is one of the six medieval cities of Finland, as well as the third oldest city in the country. Ulvila was granted charter as a ...

and since 2006 as Bishop of Turku.

History

He was born in

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

, and graduated with a Bachelor of

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

in 1979, now equivalent to a master's degree, and received his licentiate in 1987. After defending his thesis in 1989 he became a Doctor of Theology. He worked in the parishes of Roihuvuori and

Lauttasaari Lauttasaari (; ) is an island in Helsinki, Finland, about west of the city centre. Together with some surrounding unpopulated small islands, Lauttasaari is also a district of Helsinki. With 23,226 residents as of 2017, the island is Finland's se ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

from 1979 to 1984. He then worked in the parishes of Länsi-Pori and

from 1989 to 1993. Between 1984 and 1989, he also worked as a full-time researcher. His election to the vicariate of Ulvila occurred in 1994, and he held the position until 2005. During his years as vicar of Ulvila he simultaneously worked as an assistant in the

Archdiocese of Turku The Archdiocese of Turku (, ), historically known as '' Archdiocese of Åbo'', is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and its see city is Turku. The Archbishop has many administrative ...

. He has also had several positions of trust in multiple organisations. On the second ballot of 2010, he was voted to be the next Archbishop of Turku and Finland against Miikka Ruokanen. On 26 March 2013, he was the first archbishop to voice public support for ( civil)

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

. Since then, however, he has changed his position. On 28 October 2014, when the Finnish Parliament narrowly approved a citizen's initiative to legalize same-sex marriages, Mäkinen posted on his Facebook page with the following: "I know how much this day means to the rainbow community, their loved ones and many others. I rejoice with my whole heart for them and with them". In March 2016, Mäkinen promised that the church would protect refugees whose request for asylum was rejected by the Finnish immigration officials. Approximately one thousand Finns resigned their church membership in the days following his statement.

Personal

Mäkinen is married to hospital chaplain Eija Mäkinen. They have four children (born 1981, 1984, 1988, 1988).

Honors

FIN Order of the Lion of Finland 1Class BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

(Finland, 2014)

Publications

* Hämärässä kypsyy aamu. Helsinki: Kirjapaja, 1986. . (collection of poems) * Unelma jälkikristillisestä kulttuurista ja uskonnosta. Tulenkantajien oppositio kansankirkollista arvomaailmaa vastaan 1924–1930. Helsinki: Suomen Kirkkohistoriallinen Seura, 1989. . (doctoral dissertation)

References

External links

Turun arkkihiippakunnan kotisivu

Arkkipiispa Kari Mäkinen , Evl.fi
* 1955 births Living people People from Pori Lutheran archbishops and bishops of Turku 21st-century Lutheran archbishops Finnish Lutheran archbishops {{Finland-Lutheran-bishop-stub