Despite recent statements by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg that have been widely criticised as anti-Israel and anti-Semitic, the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki has no plans to revoke the honorary doctorate awarded to the 21-year-old last year.
The awarding of honorary doctorates falls within the autonomy of the faculties and is carried out on the “basis of assessments made at the time of the award”, explained the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Antti Räsänen, on Wednesday when asked by katholisch.de.
Neither the university nor the faculty actively monitored or supervised the further “work or activities of the award winners” after the award ceremony.
Räsänen went on to emphasise that neither the University of Helsinki nor the Faculty of Theology are involved in international conflicts or politics.