Catholic Church in Finland has 8 parishes, 120 nationalities
August 22, 2025
» Continue to this story on Aid to the Church in Need
CWN Editor's Note: In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola Belda of Helsinki, Finland’s sole diocese, offered insight into the life of the Church in the Scandinavian nations.
Only 0.2% of the nation’s 5.5 million people are Catholic. Finland’s Catholics come from 120 nationalities, and 29 priests minister to them in eight parishes.
“Every weekend, we cover thousands of miles to bring the heavenly food to our faithful,” said Bishop Goyarrola, ordained a priest of Opus Dei in 2002 and a bishop in 2023. “In Finland, a Catholic will often find himself the only one in his school or place of work. Despite this, Catholics don’t hide and are not afraid to let the people around them know that they are Catholics, or to speak to them about Christ.”
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