So - I didn't know what a Vicar was. Then I looked it up and realized even I know a Finnish Female Vicar. That's how many there are! :D

But seriously, she was an amazing woman I met in her church where I did a photo report on the Nordic Churches in my city. We have a few of those since Rotterdam is a harbour city, and these Nordic churches used to settle in harbour cities so they could welcome 'their' people from far and long travels with a relaxed ride home, a newspaper for while they were being driven home in the back of a car, and, of course, in the Finnish Church there was a sauna. (A sauna my - then - boss would go to once a week because she was Finnish too and she would go to her church just for the sauna :'))

I too was surprized by her open-mindedness (I took her for a tour around my city, as she had been in Rotterdam for 2 years but hadn't seen anything yet due to her workload) and the ease with which I could have interesting exchanges with her - different from the dogmatic discussion I've experienced with 'some' religious people in the past. It most of all showed me how the church can serve as a real 'beacon' in the world, where people lost from home can meet up and have some conversations and comfort. It's the first kind of church I have ever liked :-)

Glad you hugged her, the world needs more hugging!