Summer in Oulu is marked by, amongst other things, Confirmation Services as young Finns aged around fifteen take part in the very popular ‘coming of age’ ritual. This year, however, one confirmation was marred by Oulu’s Lutheran church’s row over the ordination of women priests.

Rev’d Vesa Pöyhteri, who works in the Karjasilta congregation, refused to officiate at a Confirmation Service along with a female priest last Sunday. He helped to run the week long ‘Confirmation Camp’ with the female priest in charge of one group and himself in charge of another. But he failed to turn up at the service – which is enthusiastically attended by the teenagers’ relatives – at the end of the week.

Pöyhteri told Helsingin Sanomat that he had reported his refusal well in advance meaning that ‘things could have been organised differently.’ However he claimed to feel ‘sorry’ for the Confirmation candidates and for himself as he would have liked to have confirmed them. He also claimed that the confirmation candidates were in no way shocked when he explained to them why he would not be attending the service. His group were confirmed by the female colleague.

Mr. Pöyhteri is a member of a break-away group from the Lestadians, a conservative revivalist movement that makes up a significant minority in Oulu. In its most conservative form, the Lestadians reject contraception, television, alcohol and the use of make up and ear-rings by women.

According to an anonymous Lutheran priest, confirmation in Finland is an important ‘national tradition’ and ‘coming of age ceremony’ and, for many, ‘is not really that much to do with religion.’ The week long ‘Confirmation Camp’ that precedes it occurs at various retreat centres in the countryside around Oulu and involves games and outdoor activities as well as lessons about Lutheran theology. In the months before the camp, teenagers attend ‘confirmation classes’ and have to go to a certain number of Lutheran church services.

After the confirmation ritual, most teenagers attend a family party in their honour at which they are often given cards, presents and money. This, according to one Lutheran priest, is an important reason – along with family emotional pressure and the fact that ‘all their friends are doing it’ – why many teenage Finns become confirmed into the Lutheran Church. Also, the Confirmation Camp itself is very popular amongst the teenagers and is seen as another reason why they wish to get confirmed. Some recently confirmed Finns become trained as ‘Biggies’ (camp helpers) and come back to help run the camp the following year. At present, over eighty percent of Finns are confirmed members of the Lutheran Church.

The conflict over women priests in Oulu has made the national news many times because of Mr Pöyhteri’s refusal, on a number of occasions, to work with his female colleagues. The former Christian Democrat Parliamentary candidate has been reprimanded for this as his actions break the rules of the Lutheran Church.

Until recently, conservative priests had the right to refuse to work alongside female colleagues. This is now no longer the case. Conservatives argue that the Bible makes clear that women should not be priests.