Janis Vanags ( Latvian: Jānis Vanags ) (born May 25, 1958 in Liepaja ) - Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia .
| Janis Vanags | |||
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| Jānis vanags | |||
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| Election | 1993 year | ||
| Church | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia | ||
| Predecessor | Karlis Gailitis | ||
| Birth | May 25, 1958 (61 years old) Liepaja ( Latvia ) | ||
| Spouse | Baiba Vanaga | ||
| Awards |
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Biography
After leaving school, Janis Vanags studied from 1976 at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Leningrad State University from 1984 to 1989 at a theological seminary at the ELCL in Riga . On December 1, 1985, he was ordained a pastor , and in August 1993 he was elected Primate of the Church. On August 29, 1993, Vanags was elevated to the rank of archbishop .
Activities
Vanags became archbishop after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Latvia gaining independence. The new head of the Church of Latvia was actively involved in the restitution of church buildings and their repair.
Vanags is known for his conservative views - after consecration, he forbade the ordination of women, as this contradicts the Bible and Lutheran religious texts [1] . After this ban, the LELB assistance from the CJD fell sharply, on the other hand, the LCM and the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church became new partners of the Church.
In 2002, Vanags deprived the rank of pastor Maris Sants , who openly declared his homosexuality [2] . This action caused a wide resonance in society, but most Latvian pastors supported the archbishop. In 2006, Vanags took part in a meeting of the heads of the Evangelical Churches of the Baltic States, at which the decision of the Church of Sweden to bless homosexual unions was condemned [3] .
The Vanags-led denomination is currently the most conservative among the traditional Lutheran Churches in Europe. This is one of the few Evangelical Churches in Europe, in which there is an increase in the number of parishioners [4] .