Other events in Baltic States

The Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (ELCL) has amended the Constitution of the church, officially prohibiting ordination of women as priests, informs LETA.

The Synod passed amendments to the Constitution establishing that only men can be ordained as priests with 77% of votes, ELCL representatives said.

Previously the Constitution said that "anyone, who according to the regulations set by the ELCL is called by God and trained for ministry, can seek ordination" but the amendments adopted today state that "any male candidate, who according to the regulations set by the ELCL is called by God and trained for the ministry, can seek ordination".

Rev. Ivo Pavlovics said on Twitter that the amendments had been passed with 201 votes for, 59 against and 22 abstentions. The outcome of the vote demonstrates that „the word of God is an authority” for the ELCL, he said.

Dace Balode, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Latvia, said in the interview to the public Latvian Radio that a ban on ordination of women would open up opportunities for repressions against dissenting members in the ELCL. She said the decision would result in deterioration of the ELCL relations with churches elsewhere in the world.

The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad, which functions outside Latvia, has been ordaining women as priests and criticized the proposed amendments to the ELCL Constitution that would exclude women from church offices.

The Synod, which is the highest governing body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (ELCL), is meeting in Riga on June 3-4. Other important decisions taken today include increasing the interval between the Synod meetings from current three years to four years.