Six years after tweeting about her Christian faith, Dr. Päivi Räsänen is still defending her freedoms of religion and speech. Despite two previous unanimous rulings in Räsänen’s favor, Finnish prosecutors having continued pursuing their case against the medical doctor, parliamentarian, and pastor’s wife.
Today (Oct. 30), Finland’s Supreme Court heard arguments in cases against Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola, with a ruling expected in several months. Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is coordinating Räsänen’s defense, says her years-long persecution has “created a climate of fear” in Europe, signaling that faith-based opinions “are unwelcome in public life.”
Päivi Räsänen: Defending Religious Freedom Is a Privilege
As ChurchLeaders has reported, Dr. Päivi Räsänen—a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland—opposed her faith leaders’ decision to sponsor the Helsinki Pride Parade in 2019. She tweeted in part (according to Google translate), “How does the doctrine of the Church, the Bible, fit in with the idea that shame and sin are raised to the point of pride?” In a subsequent tweet, Räsänen shared a screenshot of Romans 1:24-27.
Räsänen, who faces up to two years in prison and thousands of euros in fines, is being prosecuted for two counts of “agitation against a minority group,” a charge listed in Finland’s criminal code under Crimes Against Humanity. One count is for her 2019 tweet, and the other is for a 2004 pamphlet she wrote about Christian teachings on marriage and sexuality. Bishop Pohjola, the other defendant, is charged for publishing that pamphlet.
Räsänen received unanimous acquittals from the Helsinki District Court in 2022 and from the Court of Appeals in 2023. Despite her extended legal case, the 65-year-old grandmother of 12 has refused to back down. Instead, she called it a “privilege” to defend freedoms of faith and speech, especially amid Europe’s anti-Christian climate.
Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing, Räsänen said of her case:
The biggest surprise for me was how much joy and opportunities this has opened. I have gained much more than I have lost. From the beginning, I had a deep feeling that the entire process is in God’s hands and that this all has a purpose. I have considered this fight as my calling. It has been a privilege and honor to defend freedom of faith, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.
Faith Leaders Request Prayers for Court Case
Christian leaders and organizations are asking people to pray about Päivi Räsänen’s court case and its outcome. In an Oct. 29 prayer-request post, evangelist Franklin Graham wrote that Räsänen was merely “pointing people to the authority of God’s Word” and that the ruling “can have an impact on freedom of religious expression across Europe.”
Kristen Waggoner, president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), compared Räsänen’s case to that of Colorado cake baker Jack Phillips. “She’s faced relentless harassment & prosecution for her Christian view of marriage,” Waggoner wrote of Räsänen. “Pray for justice for Päivi—and a rebirth of freedom in the West.”
Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International, previously said of this Finnish case, “The purpose of enumerating fundamental rights is to protect citizens against the state, not to be used by the state against its own citizens.”
Caroline Farrow of CitizenGO UK recently warned, “If they can put Päivi on trial for quoting the Bible, they can put any of us on trial.”
Six years after tweeting about her Christian faith, Dr. Päivi Räsänen is still defending her freedoms of religion and speech.Click to PostBishop Juhana Pohjola, who’s being prosecuted for publishing Räsänen’s pamphlet, said the legal fight is bigger than either of them. “It is about whether Finland will remain a country where freedom of speech and religion are respected in practice, not just in theory,” he said. “The Christian message of marriage and sexuality has been taught for two millennia, and it should never be considered a crime to speak what Christians have always believed.”
