Kääriäinen has been involved in the ecumenical movement for decades. He has held his current position since 2011. Prior to that, he was involved in dialogues and studies between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Russian Orthodox Church. “I have a long experience in the ecumenical moment, and we should also emphasize locally that churches in Finland view that they are not alone, but that they are part of a much, much bigger movement—the church of Christ in all the world,” he said. “When you look at it from that perspective, you find also many encouraging signs.” While in Finland and in other Nordic countries, and in some other parts of Europe, church membership may be decreasing, Kääriäinen noted that, globally, the picture is totally different. “Christianity is growing; churches are growing and it’s inspiring.” When asked if the ecumenical movement is relevant for a local congregations in Finland, Kääriäinen replied: “Of course.” He noted that the relations between churches in Finland are very good. “Instead of having hostilities between churches, we have the view that we have a common task,” he said. “The work of the Finnish Ecumenical Council is part of a broader national network from which we can learn a lot." The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the majority church in the nation. “However, now we have more than 50,000 refugees from Ukraine and if we regard them as the Orthodox, the number of Orthodox has doubled in Finland,” he said. “The Catholic Church in Finland is rather small, around 20,000 registered members, however there must be many more serving many more nationalities that have moved to Finland.” In addition, Finland has many smaller religious communities, many of them also with migrant backgrounds. As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity approaches, church leaders from Finland will make their annual ecumenical pilgrimage to Rome, where bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Orthodox Church, and Catholic Church will participate in an ecumenical service and will enjoy a private audience with Pope Francis on 20 January. This will mark the twelfth time Kääriäinen has been to the Vatican during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and he will never forget shaking hands with Pope Francis for the first time. “It’s always quite impressive, with ecumenical strength especially between those three churches,” he said. “The Ecumenical Council of Finland will also be active during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and in many parishes there will be activities that bring Christians together during that week.” Kääriäinen concluded the interview asking for prayers of encouragement and for God’s blessing. His message to the World Council of Churches? “Please continue to bring Christians together, for the benefit of the whole world.” WCC member churches in Finland Learn more about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity | 
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