 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Catholic Church in Sweden" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Catholic Church in Sweden | |
|---|---|
| Swedish:Katolska kyrkan i Sverige | |
 | |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Governance | Scandinavian Bishops Conference |
| Structure | Diocese |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Anders Arborelius |
| Apostolic Nuncio | James Green |
| Region | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish,English,Latin |
| Founder | St. Ansgar |
| Origin | Circa 826[1] 1594-1599de facto reestablished by KingSigismund of Sweden 1781 legally reestablished as anapostolic vicariate |
| Separations | Church of Sweden |
| Members | Circa 125,000 registered members (circa 150,000 unofficially)[2] |
| Official website | Catholic Church in Sweden (English) |
TheCatholic Church in Sweden is part of the worldwideCatholic Church incommunion with thePope inRome. It was established byArchbishopAnsgar inBirka in 829, and further developed by theChristianization of Sweden in the 9th century. KingOlof Skötkonung (ca. 970–1021) is considered the first Christian king of Sweden.
In theMiddle Ages, continentalculture,philosophy andscience spread to Sweden through theCatholic Church, which also foundedschools,Uppsala University,hospitals as well asmonasteries andconvents. Several church representatives also became significant actors outside the religious sphere.
TheReformation in Sweden began in 1527 when KingGustav Vasa and hisRiksdag of Västerås broke thefull communion of the Swedish church withRome, making it politically subservient to the kingdom. Controversies about the state ofCatholicism in the Swedish church endured until the reigns of KingJohn III (1568–1592) and the Catholic KingSigismund of Poland and Sweden (1592–1599).
At theUppsala Synod in 1593, under the influence of Duke and future KingCharles IX of Sweden, theSwedish church finally became aLutheranstate church, ratified by Charles' victory in hiswar against his Catholic predecessor in 1599. Governmentalanti-Catholicism was imposed in Sweden, includingdeportations anddeath penalties for Catholics from 1599 to 1781.
Limited visits of individual foreign Catholics in Sweden were decriminalised through theTolerance Act, imposed in 1781 by KingGustav III of Sweden. Theconversion of Swedish citizens to the Catholic Church was decriminalized in 1860. In 1951, Swedish citizens were allowed to exit from the Lutheran Church of Sweden. In 1977, the last legislative ban on Catholic convents in Sweden was abolished. Still, however, according to theAct of Succession of theSwedish throne, onlyLutheran legitimate descendants brought up in Sweden are presently entitled to succeed as monarch and the thushead of state of Sweden.
Since 1953, the Catholic Church in Sweden has been formally represented by theDiocese of Stockholm, covering the whole country, estimating some 106,873 registered members (2013), with unofficial estimates of about 150,000 Catholics in the country in total. Most of them have an immigrant background, while others are native Swede converts.
On 21 May 2017,Pope Francis named BishopAnders Arborelius, the Ordinary of Stockholm, a Cardinal, a first for the Catholic Church in Sweden.[3]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. Find sources: "Catholic Church in Sweden" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
When the Swedish state gave "registered denominations" legal status in 2000, and the associations that had until that point organised the Catholic Church in Sweden became defunct, the church lost the right to the ordinary name. The administration of the diocese took it for granted that the name was the Catholic Church, that they had never applied to legally patent the name. Several smaller denominations, among them theLiberal Catholic Church, and theOld Catholic Church, opposed it calling itself the "Catholic Church". The solution was similar to theUnited Kingdom, where "Roman Catholic" has long been used to disambiguate from thehigh church movement of theAnglican Church that refer to themselves as "Anglo-Catholics".[4] The church is therefore now registered underSwedish law as the "Roman Catholic Church" (Swedish: "Romersk-katolska kyrkan").
The Catholic Church was the established church of Sweden from theMiddle Ages until theProtestant Reformation in the 16th century, when KingGustav I severed relations with Rome. The Church of Sweden becameLutheran at theUppsala Synod in 1593 when it adopted theAugsburg Confession to which most Lutherans adhere.
In 1654,Christina, Queen of Sweden caused much scandal when she abdicated her throne to convert to Catholicism. She is one of the few women buried in theVatican grotto.
In the 1770s, the prominent LiberalAnders Chydenius - himself a Lutheran priest - prevailed upon KingGustav III to legalise the immigration of Catholics (as well asJews) into Sweden. However, the Lutheran Church remained the only legal church in Sweden until the middle of the 19th century, when other churches were allowed.[dubious –discuss] The Lutheran Church remained a state church until 2000.
When EmperorLouis the Pious was visited in 829 by two envoyés of the Swedish king, who messaged that several in their homeland were willing to convert to the Christian faith, he appointed ArchbishopAnsgar for the mission. Ansgar and his assistant, the monkWitmar, followed with a convoy of merchants, but halfway they were attacked byvikings, and had to reachBirka on foot.
Archbishop Ansgar, sometimes called the "Apostle of the North", arrived in the town of Birka on an island in LakeMälaren in 829 from theArchbishopric of Bremen, and founded ostensibly the first Christian parish in Sweden. Members includedHerigar, evidently the first documented Christian Swede. However, findings from a Christian graveyard atVarnhem, dated to the 9th century, indicate that Christianity may have arrived before Ansgar.[5][6] In addition, it is not unlikely that Christian slaves and other foreigners inhabited Sweden before that time.
The Swedish king at this time was Björn, according toVita Ansgari, possiblyBjörn at Haugi.
Thereafter, Christianity slowly grew in Sweden from the 9th century until the late 11th century by people who came in contact with Christianity in other countries, and through missionaries from theHoly Roman Empire andEngland.
Götaland seems to have been Christianized beforeSvealand.
The first significant sign that Christianity had been established on a larger scale was the baptism of KingOlof Skötkonungs circa 1008.
According toAdam of Bremen, Olof Skötkonung was granted an ultimatum at theting inUppsala: if he respected the faith of the paganNordic mythology and theblót rituals at theTemple of Uppsala, he got to choose one county to have as Christian. He choseVästergötland, and in cooperation with the Archbishopric of Bremen, which was responsible for Apostolic Vicariate of the Nordic Missions, theDiocese of Skara was established, with first bishop appointed in 1014:Thurgot ofSkara (dead circa 1030).
In a Papal document from 1120, Skara was mentioned,Liunga kaupinga (Linköping), Tuna (Eskilstuna),Strängnäs,Sigtuna, and Arosa (Västerås or possibly Östra Aros/Uppsala), all asepiscopal sees.[7] Later in the 12th century, alsoVäxjö andÅbo. Furthermore, Sigtuna was moved toUppsala. The dioceses were from 1104 subject to theArchdiocese of Lund, which was thenDanish.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, several religious orders were established throughout Sweden.Alvastra,Nydala andVarnhemabbeys were founded by theCistercians. TheDominicans and theFranciscans openedconvents in among other placesVisby and Skara.
In 1164, Sweden was granted its ownecclesiastical province, with a properarchbishop seated inUppsala. However, the ecclesiastical province of Sweden would still remain formally subject to Lund until theProtestant Reformation.[8]
The most important figure of the church in Sweden during the 14th century wasBridget of Sweden. Her apparitions gained much renown both spiritually and politically throughoutEurope. She managed to have the pope recognise the establishment of theBridgettines order, and a convent was founded,Vadstena Abbey.
The Middle Ages also gave the Catholic Church in Sweden several saints. A few of them are still celebrated in the Catholic Church in Sweden today. Some of them are, besides Bridget, areSigfrid of Sweden, andHelena of Skövde, but there were also local cults of for instanceCatherine of Vadstena,Nils Hermansson,Ingrid of Skänninge, andBrynolf of Skara. See also:List of Swedish saints.
During the 16th century, KingGustav Vasa broke the relations with thepope, as did several northern European monarchies. The process had its background in the reformers' criticism of Catholicism, but it was also due to a larger societal context, including attempts to foster a centralised military state under more powerful royal control.
Thus, the break with the Catholic Church and parts of its teachings, was due part to political/economical reasons, part to the theological reformation. Regarding the first, the conflict stood primarily at theRiksdag of Västerås in 1527, and the break with the pope through the abolition of theCanon law in 1536 under KingGustav Vasa.
However, these changes didn't mean that there were no more Catholics in Sweden during the 16th century. Naturally, there were plenty who during and after the Protestant Reformation didn't swap their loyalties so easy, yet didn't wish to leave the country. Throughout the modern era, immigrants arrived from Catholic countries who only reluctantly made superficial professions of Lutheranism, although some might have been described ascrypto-Catholics.
Catholic authorities sent representatives illegally into the country and educated Swedes to become Catholic prelates outside of Sweden, despite that they could not legally return.
Exceptions from the Reformations occurred. The reigns of KingJohn III and his son KingSigismund and theSwedish–Polish Union 1594–1599.
King John III attempted to ease the breach. He invited a Norwegian Jesuit,Laurentius Nicolai, who was active in Sweden 1576–1580. Later, two more Jesuits arrived who were active at theCollegium regium Stockholmense college onRiddarholmen inStockholm. John III participated in Catholiceucharist and had extensive dialogue with theHoly See inRome of having the Swedes returning to Catholicism, but these attempts were stranded. Nonetheless, his daughter married as Catholic.
After the Reformation, it took a long time for the Catholic Church to return to Sweden. Catholic clergy was present at some Catholic embassies, but their influence remained limited for obvious reasons; Sweden had Catholicism criminalised.
After the death of King John III in 1592,Duke Charles was appointed acting regent (Swedish:riksföreståndare). At the same time, the ideas of the Reformation were recognised along with the establishment of anational church in Sweden during theUppsala Synod in 1593. At this point, the breach with the papacy was finally ratified. At this time in Sweden, politics was religion, and religion was politics, why the decision could be perceived as a provocative stance by thethrone pretendent Duke against future KingSigismund and his supporters, which would eventually result in theWar against Sigismund.
Due to the throne ascension of KingSigismund III and the establishment of theSwedish–Polish Union 1594-1599, the Protestant Reformation was halted, andreligious freedom allowed. At this period, yet again Catholics were appointed to public offices and exiled Catholics were granted return or settlement.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. Find sources: "Catholic Church in Sweden" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Subsequent to Duke Charles victory in hisWar against Sigismund 1599, all Catholics were banned and exiled, enforced bydeath penalty.
After the death of KingCharles IX in 1611, some legal suspensions were offered for ambassadors from Catholic countries and their relatives for them to live their faith, as for a few merchants and mercenaries. Now, immigrants from Catholic countries illegally partook in liturgies at the embassies. However, with theRiksdag of 1617, the rules were further restricted.
Yet, for Swedish Catholics, the death penalty was still imposed. For instance, in 1624, the Mayor Zackarias Anthelius and the royal secretary, Göran Bähr, both received the death penalty for converting to Roman Catholicism.
KingGustavus Adolphus' daughter and successorQueen Christina had Catholic clergy invited to her court. She abdicated from the throne and converted to the Catholic faith.
In the 1670s, Father Johannes Sterck, a Jesuit, was active in Sweden. He was originally alegation priest, but when the ambassador he served died, he stayed and initiated a mission instead. He was eventually sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted and he was exiled.
In the 1720s, Catholic textile workers arrived, primarily from theHoly Roman Empire; these were granted limited freedom of religion. Their visits to the legation chapels were accepted behind closed doors in order to celebrate mass, and in this way these chapels evolved into small parishes. From this time, Catholics were termed "foreign religious adherents".
At this time, Catholics in Sweden were formally represented by theApostolic Vicariate of the Nordic Missions.
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Catholic Church in Sweden" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In 1781, KingGustav III imposed theTolerance Act in Sweden, which gave foreign Catholics that had moved to Sweden the right to build churches and educate their issue in the Catholic tradition. First, anApostolic prefecture was created, and in 1783 PopePius VI appointed a French priest, Father Nicolaus Oster, asapostolic vicar in Sweden,through which abbé Oster was recognisedepiscopal mandate[clarification needed]. However, it would last some 100 years till before Swedish conversions became decriminalised.
In 1784, a Catholic parish was formally founded in Stockholm. The members lacked suitable premises, however. Therefore, until 1837, Stockholm's Catholics celebrated mass in theFreemasons hall inside the building of today'sStockholm City Museum, which they were offered to rent for the purposes.
After KingOscar I married a Catholic Princess,Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the restrictions against the Catholic Church in Sweden were further eased. The Queen brought with her achaplain, Dr Jakobus Laurentius Studach. He was a consecratedbishop and became the new apostolic vicar for Sweden. At this time also the Chapel of Eugenia was erected atNorrmalm, which stood finished in 1837, but was demolished during theRedevelopment of Norrmalm in the 1960s.
Since 1873 it has been legal also for Sweden citizens to adhere to the Catholic Church without risking death penalty or exile. Civil rights were still restricted, however. Until 1951 it was forbidden for Catholics to becomeMembers of Parliament,teachers,physicians, ornurses.[9]
Dr. Albert Bitter was appointed apostolic vicar in 1893. In 1899 only some 2,500 Catholics in Sweden were registered. Catholic church buildings existed in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Gävle. The psalm bookCecilia was published in 1902. In 1920, the first edition of the news and cultural magazineCredo was released, today known asSignum.
During and afterWorld War II, the Catholic population increased due to refugees and immigrants. In 1946, the Catholic aid organisationCaritas Sweden was established to provide help for refugees both in Sweden and in the rest of Europe.[10]
29 June 1953, PopePius XII established theDiocese of Stockholm. Sweden was no longer considered a missionary region, but enjoyed a more independent status. The same year, the Church of St. Eric was granted the status ofcathedral. The first diocesan bishop was the former apostolic vicarJohannes Erik Müller, born inBavaria.[11] He was succeeded by BishopAnsgar Nelson, aBenedictinemonk, BishopJohn Taylor,Oblates, and BishopHubertus Brandenburg, along with assistant bishopWilliam Kenney.[12]
TheDiocese of Stockholm, founded in 1953, covers all of Sweden's territory, has more than 100,000 members and is one of Sweden's largest religious denominations. In 1998, the Catholic Church in Sweden got its first Swedishbishop since theProtestant Reformation,Anders Arborelius. The cathedral of the diocese is theCathedral of Saint Eric, located inSödermalm inStockholm. Its parish has about 8,500 members.
Catholic priests are educated inUppsala, with academic studies offered by theNewman Institute (Uppsala). A part of the studies may be pursued at thePontifical universities in Rome. The education typically lasts a total of seven years, covering studies inphilosophy,theology,pastoral practical work, as well as spiritual and liturgical instruction.
In 1934, the official youth association of the diocese was founded,Sveriges Unga Katoliker.
The central administration of the diocese maintains offices inSödermalm, in the real estate that was acquired in 1857. Furthermore, a Catholic school was founded atNytorget in Södermalm in 1795. In 1859, the school moved to the diocese offices. In 1967 it moved toEnskede.
Worth mentioning is alsoEric IX of Sweden (Locally referred to as "Saint Eric"), who was martyred and is venerated as alocal saint,[13] though never officially canonized by The Holy See.
| Sovereign states |
|
|---|---|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other entities | |
.svg)
