Hemming (bishop)

Seal of Hemmings

Hemming's grave in Turku Cathedral

Hemming (* around 1290; † May 21, 1366 in Turku ) was Bishop of Turku in Finland .

Life

Hemming was a native Swede . Presumably he studied in Paris . In 1329 he became a canon in Turku. In 1338 he was elected Bishop of Turku by acclamation . He held the office until his death. As a bishop he tried to enforce canon law . So he forbade the priests to have children in the house; Obviously, the rules of celibacy were not yet enforced at this point. He also introduced the tithe in Finland . He had churches built and the Turku Cathedral expanded. Hemming was considered pious.

In the mid-1340s he met Birgitta of Sweden , who was later canonized , and became one of her followers. In particular, he supported them in their efforts to renew the Catholic Church. Birgitta named Hemming in her revelations and described him as fearless, truthful and always striving forwards. In 1348 he traveled with the confessor Birgittas to Pope Clemens VI. to Avignon . The aim of the trip was to persuade the Pope to move the seat of the Holy See back to Rome.

Attempts to canonize Hemming began at the end of the 14th century. In 1514 he was beatified . His bones were placed in a shrine with other relics in Turku Cathedral . The intended canonization no longer came about due to the Reformation that began in Finland in the 1520s .

literature

• Jussi Nuorteva : Hemming. In: Olli Alho (Hrsg.): Kulturlexikon Finland. 2nd Edition. Finnish Literature Society , Helsinki 1999, ISBN 951-717-032-5 , pp. 138 f.

predecessor	Office	successor
Pentii	Bishop of Turku 1338-1366	Heinrich Hartmaninpoika