Sexual harassment against female pastors widespread

A survey by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church has revealed that more than half of the Helsinki region’s female pastors have been unwilling recipients of offensive sexual advances from their parishioners.

The survey was conducted in November and received responses from around one-fifth of female pastors based in Vantaa, Espoo and Helsinki. Inappropriate conversations were the most frequent form of harassment although some parishioners have turned up unannounced at a female pastor’s residence, according to YLE.

The Helsinki Parish Union industrial safety officer Marina Tolonen said such harassment was especially difficult for pastors as they cannot sack their parishioners. ”You can’t really ban them from coming to church events. Of course, security can be amplified in situations. For instance, guards in civilian clothes could be there ready to help if need be,” said Tolonen.

Other church workers have also experienced harassment and the Church Council claimed it was aware of the issue. ”Church employees work in very different types of situations. Quite often they are working with people who have all kinds of problems,” said council member Pekka Houkuna. Huokuna urged council workers to confide with their colleagues about their experiences, adding that more senior employees may have experienced similar situations in the past

Eeva-Liisa Hurmerinta, a pastor with Helsinki’s Kallio Parish, said she has been harassed a few times in her 20 years in the role. Hurmerinta said that clear boundaries must be established by pastors for those parishioners who want to talk about sex.

”I could imagine that a young pastor in a new area would be embarrassed by these types of parishioners. With experience, one learns how to handle these types of situations and how to direct the conversation,” Hurmerinta stated.