The Archbishop

The Archbishop of Turku and Finland leads the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

The Archbishop presides at the consecration of the other bishops and chairs the General Synod, the Church Council, the Bishops' Conference and the Council for International Relations. The Archbishop has no authority as far as the affairs of other dioceses are concerned, but serves as primus inter pares (“the first among equals”) among the bishops of the Church. 

Since 1998, the Archdiocese of Turku has also had a bishop. The Archbishop oversees the parishes and clergy of the Deaneries of Turku and Naantali, whereas the Bishop of Turku is responsible for the remaining parishes in the archdiocese. This allows the Archbishop to take a leading role in representing the Church on both the national and international stages.

The present Archbishop is the Most Revd Dr Tapio Luoma.