CHURCH OF SWEDEN
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Church of Sweden
The 'Church of Sweden' (, ) is the largest church in Sweden. The Church of Sweden professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With almost 6.9 million members, It is the largest Lutheran church in the World. Until 2000 it held the position of state church. As of 2006 75.6% of the Swedes were members of the church. However, only approximately 2% of the church's members regularly attend Sunday services [1]. The reason for the large number of inactive members is that until 1996, all children automatically became members at birth, if at least one of their parents was a member. Since 1996, all children who are baptized become members.
The Church describes itself in the following manner:
★ The Church of Sweden is an Evangelical Lutheran community of faith manifested in parishes and dioceses. The Church of Sweden also has a national organisation.
★ The Church of Sweden is an open national church, which, working with a democratic organisation and through the ministry of the church, covers the whole nation.
The head of the Church of Sweden is the Archbishop of Uppsala, currently Anders Wejryd.
History
Middle Ages
:''For details, see Early Swedish History.''
While some Swedish areas had Christian minorities in the 9th century, Sweden was, because of its geographical location in northernmost Europe, not Christianized until around AD 1000, around the same time as the other Nordic countries, when the Swedish King Olof was baptized. However, because of the unclear national borders, it can not be said that the whole of Sweden was fully Christianized until the 12th century, after the Temple at Uppsala had been demolished; while in the northern district Laplandia, little effort was made to introduce Christianity for another century.
The most cherished national Catholic saints were the Swedish King Eric the Saint in the 12th century and the visionary Saint Birgitta in the 14th century, but other regional heroes also had a local cult following, including Saint Botvid and Saint Eskil in Södermanland, Saint Helena and Saint Sigfrid in Småland. In their names, miracles were performed and churches were named.
Sweden remained Catholic until the Protestant reformation in the 1530s.
Reformation
Lutheran ideas spread in the 1530s, led by King Gustav Vasa and the brothers Olaus Petri, and Laurentius Petri in Sweden, and later Mikael Agricola in Österland, today known as Finland. The Lutheran Church gradually established itself in 16th century, even though its exact forms were not defined in the Riksdag until 1591, and finally completed with the Uppsala Synod 1593.
Meanwhile Sweden had been ruled by a king with Catholicizing tendencies, John III, and another openly Catholic one, John's son Sigismund, who was also ruler of Catholic Poland but eventually deposed from the Swedish throne by his uncle. The latter, who acceded to the throne as Charles IX used the Lutheran church as an instrument in his power struggle against his nephew, but is known to have had Calvinist leanings.
An important part of the reformation was the transition from Latin to the vernacular language in church services, and in translation of the Bible. Because of the Bible translation, the reformers Olaus Petri and Agricola also had an instrumental importance for the development of Swedish and Finnish as written languages. Other changes of the reformation included the abolition of some Catholic rituals. However, the changes were not as drastic as in Germany; in many Swedish churches there still today remain artifacts from Catholic times, such as crosses, crucifixes and icons. And many holy days, based on Saints days, were not removed from the calendar until the late 18th century because of a strong resistance from the population.
Lutheran Orthodoxy
Main articles: Lutheran Orthodoxy
19th century
: ''For details, see: Foundation of Modern Sweden''
By the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, which followed the Finnish War, Sweden ceded Finland to the Russian Empire and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland became the successor to the Church of Sweden in Finland.
Present
Unlike most other Protestant churches — including some Lutheran churches — the Church of Sweden (along with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) continues to maintain the historical episcopate. It is liturgically and theologically high church, having retained priests, vestments, and the Mass during the Reformation [2].
As a state church, and during the 20th century, bishops were nominated by a conclave of clerics and then formally appointed by the Government of Sweden, ultimately depending on legislation by the Parliament of Sweden. In 2000 when the Church was separated from the state, a new body, the Church Assembly, or ''Kyrkomötet'', was created to fulfill the role previously held by the national parliament. Members of the Church Assembly as well as local Parish Councils are appointed in elections held every four years among church members.
In 2006, the Church began to allow the blessing of same-sex unions and to welcome partnered gay and lesbian clergy.
Coat of arms
The origin of the coat of arms goes 600 years back to one found in Uppsala Cathedral. It features the colours red and yellow, and an open crown called the victory crown of Christ, based on the medieval tradition.
Church politics
The Church adopted, at the time that it was still a state church, an administrative structure largely modelled after the state. Direct elections are held to Church, Diocese, Community (''Samfällighet'') and Parish (''Församling'') assemblies. The electoral system is the same as used in the parliamentary or municipal elections. The groups that take part in the elections are called nominating groups (''nomineringsgrupper''). In some cases the nationwide political parties take part in the elections, such as the Social Democrats, the Moderates and the Centre Party. In other cases individual members of political parties form separate associations to launch candidatures in the church elections. A growing phenomenon is various 'non-partisan' groups putting up candidatures.
★ See also: Elections to the Church Assembly, 2005
Administrative divisions
The Church of Sweden is divided into thirteen dioceses (''stift''). A diocese is divided into "contracts" (''kontrakt''), which are then divided into parishes (''församlingar''). One or several parishes may together form a larger parish (''pastorat'').
Dioceses, with seats, cathedrals and bishops
See also
★
★ Church of Sweden Abroad
★ List of cathedrals
★ Archbishop of Uppsala
★ Swedish churches in London
References
★ B. Gustafsson, ''Svensk kyrkohistoria'', 1983. In Swedish
External links
★ Church of Sweden - Official site
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