{"id":45026,"date":"2026-04-10T17:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/nieuws\/8645-candles-light-finlands-parliament-in-pro-life-vigil-for-unborn\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T17:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:41:00","slug":"8645-candles-light-finlands-parliament-in-pro-life-vigil-for-unborn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/en\/nieuws\/8645-candles-light-finlands-parliament-in-pro-life-vigil-for-unborn\/","title":{"rendered":"8,645 candles light Finland\u2019s Parliament in pro-life vigil for unborn"},"content":{"rendered":"
HELSINKI \u2014 Thousands of candles illuminated the steps of Finland\u02bcs Parliament in Helsinki on March 21 as pro-life advocates held a public vigil commemorating children lost to abortion.<\/p>\n
Organized by the Finnish pro-life group Oikeus el\u00e4m\u00e4\u00e4n ry, the \u201cMuistamme\u201d (\u201cIn remembrance\u201d) event featured 8,645 candles, one for each abortion performed in Finland in 2024. <\/p>\n
Johannes Laitinen, one of the event\u02bcs organizers, said approximately 100 preselected participants were invited to light the candles, chosen because of their personal connection to the loss of children through abortion. Members of the public were also given the opportunity to take part in the candle lighting during the vigil.<\/p>\nJohannes Laitinen, one of the organizers of the \u201cMuistamme\u201d pro-life vigil held outside Finland\u2019s Parliament in Helsinki on March 21, 2026. | Credit: Miika Soininen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After the candles were lit, participants observed a minute of silence, while volunteers remained through the night as the display continued glowing in central Helsinki.<\/p>\n
A public witness in the heart of Helsinki<\/h2>\n
Speaking to EWTN News, Kirsi Morgan-MacKay, chairman of Finland\u02bcs Right to Life Association, said the vigil sought both to honor the unborn and to confront the public with the scale of abortion in the country. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe event created a visual that touched people\u02bcs hearts and perhaps made them stop and think about how many children are actually lost every year through abortion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Morgan-MacKay added that the vigil also aimed to acknowledge the often-unspoken grief experienced by women and families affected by abortion.<\/p>\nThe full display of 8,645 candles glows on the steps of Finland\u2019s Parliament in Helsinki on the night of March 21, 2026. | Credit: Jaakko Haapanen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
She noted that leaders from multiple Christian denominations attended the event, which organizers viewed as an encouraging sign of broader ecclesial engagement. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have always hoped that churches would come together to defend the lives of unborn children,\u201d she said, explaining that abortion is not merely political but \u201ca spiritual, ethical, and moral issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
A prayer gathering was also held in connection with the vigil at Luther Church in Helsinki, where clergy from Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Catholic communities offered prayers. Representing the Catholic Church, Jean Claude Kabeza, vicar general of the Diocese of Helsinki, conveyed greetings from Bishop Raimo Goyarrola.<\/p>\n
Finland\u02bcs welfare state and the limits of social support<\/h2>\n
While happy about Finland\u02bcs reputation for its strong social welfare system, Morgan-MacKay noted that many women facing crisis pregnancies still experience profound isolation. \u201cMany women and families are still left alone in the midst of a crisis,\u201d she said, adding that loneliness and lack of support often persist even within families.<\/p>\n
She also observed that in Finland, the lives of unborn children often go unvalued when a pregnancy is unwanted. She pointed out that women confronted with an unplanned pregnancy, sometimes in shock, may see abortion as an \u201ceasy\u201d way out, particularly since medical abortion is frequently presented as a simple \u201cprocedure.\u201d<\/p>\nPro-life advocates carry the \u201cMuistamme\u201d banner through central Helsinki during the candlelit vigil on March 21, 2026. | Credit: Miika Soininen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Morgan-MacKay also drew attention to Finland\u02bcs liberalized abortion framework, particularly the increased accessibility of medical abortion, arguing that women may be pressured into rushed decisions without adequate counseling.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the health care system offers abortion as the only option,\u201d she said. \u201cMany times, these women need space to pause, think everything through, and receive real support.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that while Finland\u02bcs pro-life movement remains relatively small, it is gradually growing, with increased awareness of abortion\u02bcs broader social and personal consequences. She expressed particular encouragement at the involvement of younger supporters, especially young men, saying she believes \u201cGod is raising up a new generation of pro-lifers\u201d as more Finns begin speaking openly about the issue.<\/p>\n
A bishop\u02bcs medical perspective on abortion<\/h2>\n
EWTN News also spoke with Goyarrola, who said he remains hopeful that Finland can become more receptive to pro-life values, despite abortion remaining a sensitive and often taboo topic in public life.<\/p>\n
Goyarrola\u02bcs comments carry added weight in Finland\u02bcs abortion debates because of his medical background. Before entering the priesthood, he trained as a physician, graduating with a degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Navarra in Spain in 1992, and has pursued doctoral research in palliative care at the University of Eastern Finland since 2022.<\/p>\n