As an active member of the Finnish Lutheran Church, Päivi Räsänen questioned the Lutheran Church regarding its support for the LGBTQ event in 2019, quoting the following Bible verse in her Twitter post:

"Similarly, the men, abandoning the natural life with the womenfolk, turned on each other in their lasciviousness, men infatuating themselves with men..."

The former interior minister also had to stand trial in two other cases, an article he wrote in 2004 - about God creating man as male and female - and a "What did Jesus think about homosexuality? " because of his comments in a talk show that was broadcast in 2018, Hetek .

As Mandiner has reported on several occasions, the former interior minister of the Scandinavian country was cited to court because he quoted the apostle Paul and admonished his church for supporting Pride on Twitter. In the first instance, a verdict was handed down in the case on Wednesday afternoon, according to which all charges against Räsänen were dropped.

The information of the Finnish public broadcaster Yle was also confirmed by the press release of the Helsinki District Court.

The court concluded that Räsänen spoke within the legal limits of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

"There is, however, a compelling social reason for limiting freedom of speech and freedom of speech," the statement reads. They continued by saying that "the rights of persons belonging to sexual minorities and the dignity and equality of sexual minorities can be such a reason" .

However, the court believes that Räsänen acted within the legal framework.

Hetek also mentioned in its article that MP Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola held a press conference after the verdict was announced. It turned out that they were very relieved after the decision. The former minister thanked him for the support he received. He added that this verdict was expected.

"It's an honor to be able to defend freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I hope that no one else has to go through such a process in the future," said the Finnish representative.

Räsänen was also asked if he would quote from the Bible in the future. "Sure," he replied. He then went on to say

“I hope we all do that. Find the Bible on your bookshelves, read it, and read it in your context”.

In Helsinki, CNE reporter Danielle Miettin received a call from Chief Prosecutor Raija Toiviainen, who was surprised by the verdict. He wished the court had considered the relationship between freedom of speech and discrimination more. He will study the verdict and then decide whether to appeal the case to a higher court. "I probably will," Toiviainen was quoted as saying by Hetek.

Source: Mandiner/Hetek

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