Background
Teemu Sippo was born as a Lutheran, and converted to Roman Catholicism in 1966 while he was in his late teens. Four years later he decided to start studying to become a priest.
Teemu Sippo was born as a Lutheran, and converted to Roman Catholicism in 1966 while he was in his late teens. Four years later he decided to start studying to become a priest.
He is the first Finnish-born Roman Catholic Bishop since Arvid Kurck (1464–1522). His thesis advisor was Karl Lehmann. He was ordained a priest on May 28, 1977.
After that he worked in Helsinki and Jyväskylä.
In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Helsinki, succeeding Josef Wrobel, who had been appointed auxiliary bishop of Lublin. He was consecrated bishop by Karl Cardinal Lehmann on September 5, 2009.