Rep. Roy calls out harassment of Finnish Christians who promoted Biblical marriage online

August 8, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC — On Tuesday, Representative Chip Roy (TX-21) led 15 of his colleagues in calling attention to the legal harassment of a Finnish Parliament member and Lutheran Bishop who have been targeted solely for tweeting a Bible verse and publishing a booklet on marriage online.

The letter asks Rashad Hussain, the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and Douglas Hickey, the U.S. Ambassador to Finland to continue to raise concerns over the ongoing legal harassment of MP Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola with their Finnish counterparts.

“No American, no Finn, and no human should face legal harassment for simply living out their religious beliefs,” the lawmakers wrote. “This case will have worldwide ramifications.”

For more than four years, a rogue prosecutor has targeted Finnish Parliament Member Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola for publicly advocating for a view of Biblical marriage.

The letter adds, “History will remember this case for either stopping the madness or as the beginning of the end as the West declares open war on Christianity.”

“Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are engrained in what it means to be an American. As members of Congress, we stand shoulder to shoulder with all people of good faith in condemning the legal assault on MP Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola for merely being Christians,” the letter concludes.

Co-signers of the letter include representatives Michael Cloud (TX-27), Mike Johnson (LA-4), Andrew Clyde (GA-9), Jim Banks (IN-3), Jeff Duncan (SC-3), Mary Miller (IL-15), Doug Lamborn (CO-5), Debbie Lesko (AZ-8), Michael Guest (MS-3), Andy Ogles (TN-5), Ralph Norman (SC-5), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Randy Weber (TX-14), Keith Self (TX-3) and Alex Mooney (MD-3).

Read the full letter here.

Previous work on this issue:

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