Diocese of Helsinki

This article is about the Evangelical Lutheran diocese. For Roman Catholic diocese, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki.

The Diocese of Helsinki (in Finnish Helsingin hiippakunta; in Swedish Helsingfors stift) is a Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and the seat of the Bishop of Helsinki. Its cathedral is Helsinki Cathedral.

The Diocese was established in 1959 by dividing the Diocese of Tampere. It covers only 1% of the country's territory, but contains 10% of the population. The diocese comprises 39 parishes. It was divided again in 2002, when the western part became the Diocese of Espoo 2004. Irja Askola was ordained on 12 September, 2010, and thus become the first female bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Bishops of Helsinki

• Martti Simojoki 1959–1964
• Aarre Lauha 1964–1972
• Aimo T. Nikolainen 1972–1982
• Samuel Lehtonen 1982–1991
• Eero Huovinen 1991–2010
• Irja Askola 2010–