Finnish Christian Lawmaker Challenges U.K. Entry Ban Over Biblical Speech

Finnish parliamentarian and former Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen is urging the British government to reverse an entry ban imposed after she was convicted in Finland for expressing traditional Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

Räsänen had been scheduled to address the “Faith in the Public Square” conference at Stormont, home of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Although her Electronic Travel Authorization was initially approved, British authorities canceled it in July, according to ADF International, which is representing her. She subsequently participated in the conference remotely.

The decision followed a March ruling by Finland’s Supreme Court concerning a church booklet Räsänen wrote in 2004. The publication presented a biblical understanding of marriage and sexual ethics. The court convicted Räsänen, Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola and the Luther Foundation Finland, even while acknowledging that the booklet contained no incitement to violence or comparable threats.

Räsänen described Britain’s action as an alarming case of state censorship against a democratically elected official from an allied European country. She also suggested that the denial could be connected to her pending appeal before the European Court of Human Rights.

Pohjola, who published the booklet, was similarly denied authorization to enter the U.K. He called the situation “an Orwellian reality,” warning that clergy members and Christian leaders now risk both prosecution and international travel restrictions for peacefully articulating historic Christian doctrine.

ADF International CEO Kristen Waggoner called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to intervene, arguing that the United Kingdom should not enforce another nation’s censorship of peaceful religious expression. Attorney Lorcán Price likewise warned that continued government inaction would raise serious concerns about Britain’s commitment to free speech.

Räsänen’s legal battle has lasted nearly seven years and involved a tweet containing a Bible verse, a radio discussion and the church booklet. Although lower courts unanimously acquitted her, prosecutors continued pursuing the case.

Now before Europe’s highest human-rights court, the case could establish far-reaching consequences for Christians across the continent. At stake is a fundamental question: Can believers publicly proclaim biblical teaching without facing criminal penalties—or punishment that follows them across national borders?

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