Church of Sweden
From Open Encyclopedia
The Church of Sweden, or Svenska kyrkan, is the national church of Sweden. Until 2000 it also had a position as state church. 78.3 % of Swedes belong to this church (2004 statistics).
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 Swedish Church is the Archbishop of Uppsala.
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History
Middle ages
- For details, see Early Swedish History.
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 heathen 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 in Sudermannia, Saint Helena and Saint Sigfrid in Smalandia. 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 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
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 — even some of its fellow Lutherans — the Church of Sweden continues to maintain the historic episcopate.
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.
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
References
- B. Gustafsson, Svensk kyrkohistoria, 1983. In Swedish
External links
- Church of Sweden - Official sitede:Schwedische Kirche
