Coat of arms Appointed June 16, 2009 Nationality Fin Consecration September 5, 2009 | Predecessor Jozef Wrobel Ordination May 28, 1977 Installed 5 September 2009 Name Teemu Sippo | |
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Diocese Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki | ||
Piispa teemu sippo tapasi paavin
Teemu Jyrki Juhani Sippo S.C.I. (born 20 May 1947 in Lahti, Finland) is the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Helsinki. He is the first Finnish-born Roman Catholic Bishop since Arvid Kurck (1464–1522).
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Life
Teemu Sippo was born as a Lutheran, and converted to Roman Catholicism in 1966 while he was in his late teens; four years later he decided to start studying to become a priest. He became a professed member of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1970 and started studying at the seminary at Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. He wrote his Master's thesis on Paul Tillich's principle of Protestantism. His thesis advisor was Karl Lehmann. He was ordained a priest on May 28, 1977.
After that he worked in Helsinki and Jyväskylä. In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Helsinki, succeeding Josef Wrobel, who had been appointed auxiliary bishop of Lublin. He was consecrated bishop by Karl Cardinal Lehmann on September 5, 2009. The consecration took place in the Turku Cathedral, which is a Lutheran church.
