Funding cuts proposed by Finland’s Ministry of Finance spark church opposition

According to Finland’s Ministry of Finance’s budget proposal for next year, funding for the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be cut by 20 million euros. This has been met with opposition from the church. “We can already state that the church opposes the cut,” commented church official Pirjo Pihlaja via email to Yle.

The church’s government funding is allocated for legally mandated tasks, primarily funeral services, which are expected to rise in cost due to population forecasts. Pihlaja pointed out that if the proposed cuts are implemented, it could lead to an average increase of around 400 euros in funeral fees, directly impacting the costs charged for these services. Organizing a funeral typically costs several thousand euros.

Despite the significant reduction in funding outlined in the budget proposal, the church is still projected to finish in a positive position due to decisions from the spring framework meeting, which is expected to bolster the church’s finances by 47 million euros, according to Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah. Consequently, the church nets an increase of 27 million euros from government decisions. However, the church argues that the situation is more complex; increased revenue from church tax will be used to fund congregational duties as required by law, while state funding is meant to cover specific societal tasks including funerary services, civil registration, and the maintenance of culturally significant buildings.

Peter Östman, chair of the Christian Democrats’ parliamentary group, stated that while the church must participate in savings efforts due to government budget adjustments totaling nine billion euros, he believes the church will receive more funding than last year. He expressed confidence that the cuts would not significantly affect church operations.