Pope Francis appointed Opus Dei physician and priest Fr Raimo Ramon Goyarrola Belda as the new Bishop of Helsinki (Finland) on 29 September.
The new Prelate was until now vicar general of the Diocese of Helsinki, a jurisdiction that has just over 100 years of history. In June 1920 it was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Finland; while in 1955 it was elevated to a diocese.
With this appointment, the Bishop-elect will lead a Church made up of about 14 thousand Catholics, which are around 0.2% of the population of Finland, which in total is made up of around 5.5 million inhabitants.
Bishop Goyarrola Belda succeeds Bishop Teemu Jyrki Juhani Sippo, who resigned on May 20, 2019, leaving the diocese vacant since then.
The new bishop was born on 20 July 1969 in Bilbao (Spain), and in 1987 he entered the personal Prelature of Opus Dei. He is 54 years old.
He graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Navarra and, later, studied Philosophy and Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, obtaining a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology. On 1 September 2002 he was ordained a priest. He has been working in Finland since 2006.
He has held, among others, the following positions: chaplain at the Tavasttähti University Residence; assistant of the University Pastoral in Helsinki; teacher of Religious Education in various public schools in Helsinki; diocesan representative on the Finnish Ecumenical Council; and military chaplain.