Interview with Archbishop Leo published in Ortodoksiviesti, magazine of the Orthodox Parish of Helsinki, in February 2009

Your Eminence, what does your role as a bishop mean to you?

“My response to the call to be bishop was rather like that of the Prophet Moses, who asked God at first not to send him to deliver the people of Israel. He nevertheless believed God’s words ‘Now go, and I will be with you’ (Ex. 4:12). In keeping with His promise, God has been with me, too.”

Looking back at your thirty years as a bishop, what things are you particularly proud of?

“To some degree I am proud of the spiritual resurrection that our church has been going through since the 1970s, and which I have been able to witness personally. Orthodox Christians have a distinct identity in Finland today and our church has a firmly established position in society.”

And if you could begin all over again, is there anything that you would do differently?

“There are, of course, many things that I would perhaps do differently, but one can’t change what happened in the past, so I prefer to concentrate on the present and the future.”

You were a bishop during the terms of office of Archbishop Paul and Archbishop John. What did you learn from them?

“Archbishop Paul’s love for the church services has been an excellent legacy.”

You have occupied all four of the episcopal seats in Finland in turn. How do the dioceses differ from one another?

“My time as Assistant Bishop of Joensuu was a brief period of training for starting up the new diocese of Oulu. One outstanding feature of Oulu was the Skolt Saame culture in the north of the diocese, while the Diocese of Helsinki was a highly cosmopolitan one. The Diocese of Karelia is far more traditional, but it is also becoming more international all the time.”

You spent five years in Helsinki before moving to Kuopio to become Archbishop. Is there anything in Helsinki that you especially miss?

“The beautiful churches in Helsinki and the congregations that gathered in them became very familiar to me. The services in the historic churches of the city centre, the Uspensky Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Trinity, have remained in my mind most of all.”

There are plans now for building an Orthodox Church in the East Centre district of Helsinki that will function under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow. What are your feelings about the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Finland?

“The presence on Finnish soil of a strong spiritual legacy from the Church of Russia is an obvious historical fact, and our local Orthodox Church is continuing the work done by the Russian Church in Finland. The Russian Orthodox Church is a partner in that work and acts in co-operation with us.”

The Russian Orthodox Church has close relations with that country’s political elite and has had a powerful symbolic and at times practical role in the rise of nationalist feeling in Russia. What is the position of the Russian Orthodox Church at the present time?

“For historical reasons the Russian Orthodox Church has close, although largely ceremonial, relations with the political elite, but its opportunities for influencing the political leadership are quite limited. On the other hand, it has a considerable influence in shaping personal values. I believe that under its new Patriarch the church will concentrate on strengthening people’s religious identity.”

The Russian Orthodox Church is also engaged in a territorial struggle for Orthodox souls all over Western Europe. Do you foresee an intensification of the battle over Russian immigrants in Finland?

“The Russian Orthodox Church built dozens of churches in the larger cities of Western Europe a hundred years ago, and now it again wants to reinforce its presence in the region. It is to be hoped, however, that it will exercise its influence in the West through dialogue and interaction.”

You know the new Patriarch Kirill of Russia very well. Would you describe him as conservative or liberal, international or nationalistic?

“It is impossible to fit Patriarch Kirill into such definitions. He has the most international experience of all the Russian bishops and he has a good understanding of the West. He may be highly conservative in the eyes of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, but that doesn’t make him conservative in any absolute sense.”

What is Patriarch Kirill’s attitude towards Finland? Could it be of importance for future developments in church relations?

“Patriarch Kirill was born in St. Petersburg and has visited Finland more than 40 times. He attaches great value to our church and to our place in Finnish society, and I believe he is also able to see what the prospects are for the work of our church within a western democracy.” 

At the same time as tending your flock as bishop, you have been a single parent bringing up your daughter, and you have also looked after your elderly father. How have you managed to combine these roles, and how has all this affected you as a person?

“I have tried to discharge my duties as bishop in the same way as I have managed my family relations. A bishop is the father of the family that makes up his diocese.”