Funerals for members of other Christian churches or other religions and nondenominational funerals
Deceased persons who were members of another Christian church or did
not belong to any Christian church can also be buried in the cemeteries of
the Helsinki parishes. There is a nondenominational grave area in the vicinity
of the Honkanummi cemetery for those who do not want to be buried in a
Christian cemetery. There are also Orthodox, Jewish, and Islamic cemeteries,
but members of these religions can also be buried in Lutheran cemeteries.
A funeral service can be held for a person who was not Christian if the family
so request and the minister believes there are grounds for a Christian funeral
ceremony. A funeral service is not conducted if the deceased had expressed
a wish not to have a Christian funeral. The order of the service is similar to
that for a parish member.
A chapel may be hired for ceremonies of other churches and nondenominational
funerals, but in these cases the programme for the ceremony must be
delivered to the chapel for approval.