A prayer for Ukraine, intended for Orthodox memorial services marking the anniversary of Russia's invasion, has caused division within the Finnish Orthodox Church.
The three-year anniversary of Russia's attack falls on Monday, 24 February.
The prayer, drafted by the Orthodox charity Filantropia, was approved by Archbishop Elia, the head of the Finnish Orthodox Church. However, according to Finnish News Agency STT, it was firmly rejected by Metropolitan Bishop Arseni.
Filantropia distributed the prayer via email to Orthodox parishes across Finland. The STT-reviewed text asks God to protect "long-suffering Ukraine". Since the war began, tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, many of them Orthodox, have arrived in Finland.
Archbishop Elia, the head of the church, encouraged parishes to mark the war's anniversary by holding prayer services on either Sunday, 23 February, or Monday, 24 February.
However, Metropolitan Bishop Arseni of the Diocese of Kuopio and Karelia issued a separate directive to his parishes, banning the reading of the prayer.
In his letter, seen by STT, Arseni instructed that while the memorial service itself could proceed, the accompanying prayer "must not be read under any circumstances".
"Parishes must avoid any actions that could create confrontation between Ukrainians and Russians. Holding this kind of prayer service could potentially fuel such divisions," Arseni wrote.
Speaking to STT, Arseni called the prayer a political statement.
"It takes a stance in favour of one party in the war. Our congregations include both Ukrainians and Russians. As bishop of the diocese, my duty is to maintain unity, not to divide the parish by taking sides," he said.
He also criticised the prayer's origins, arguing that it was not part of the officially approved liturgical texts but rather created by a charity organisation.
The Finnish Orthodox Church, independent of the Russian Orthodox Church, is funded by member taxes. Although officially one of Finland’s national churches alongside the Evangelical Lutheran Church, it has just over 57,000 members, making up around one percent of the population.