Björn Vikström

Björn Håkan Vikström (born 17 July 1963) is a Finnish prelate who served as Bishop of Borgå between 2009 and 2019.

The Right Reverend Björn Vikström
Bishop of Borgå
Church	Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Diocese	Borgå
Elected	2009
In office	2009–2019
Predecessor	Gustav Björkstrand
Successor	Bo-Göran Åstrand
Orders
Ordination	1988
Consecration	29 November 2009 by Jukka Paarma
Personal details
Born	(1963-07-17) 17 July 1963 Turku, Finland
Nationality	Finnish
Alma mater	Åbo Akademi University

Biography

Vikström was born on 17 July 1963 in Turku, Finland. He was ordained a priest in 1988, after which he has served as a pastor in Hanko and in the Matteus Church of Helsinki, as well as a chaplain for 15 years in the parish of Kimito and Västanfjärd. He acquired his doctorate in theology in 2000 from Åbo Akademi University.

Bishop

The election for the new Bishop of Borgå was characterized as a competition between the Conservatives and the Liberals, where the Liberals were clearly victorious. Vikström's liberal Bible-mindedness was an old problem, and the discussion particularly concerned his acceptance of homosexual persons. Vikström's positive stance towards homosexuality raised resistance especially in the Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia, where, according to one view, "many do not experience Vikström as a spiritual leader." Nonetheless, he won the 2009 bishop's election in the second round against Sixten Ekstrand in 250-199 votes. Vikström was ordained a bishop on 29 November 2009. He is the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Porvoo. Vikström was nominated for Archbishop of Turku in 2018, but lost to Tapio Luoma.