"Finnish Eastern Orthodox Women and the Virgin Mary"
by Elina Vuola, Academy Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki
The Orthodox Church is an important minority church in largely Lutheran Finland. Virgin Mary is central in the tradition. Based on interviews with Finnish Orthodox women, including some Skolt Sami - a small indigenous minority in Northeastern Lapland, Orthodox by religion - on their relationship with the Mother of God, issues regarding gender and minority identity, ethnicity, and embodiment are highlighted. What is the meaning of the Virgin Mary and how is it related to women´s status and self-understanding in the Orthodox Church? How do contemporary Orthodox women perceive and interpret their identities in relation to their religious tradition but also to the secular Finnish society?