First Woman Primate in the Porvoo Communion

© Church of Norway Information Office
The Church of Norway has made a bold move as it establishes the office of permanent Presiding Bishop. The Church has appointed Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien to this new office. Bishop Helga thus becomes the first woman "Primate" of a Church within the Porvoo Communion of Churches. As the Church of Norway is the state Church Bishop Helga was chosen by the Minister for Church affairs after the unanimous recommendation from the Bishops' Conference and the National Church Council.

The office of Presiding Bishop as a permanent distinct office is a new development. For the past 500 years, the Presiding Bishop was chosen from among the existing diocesan bishops. The new permanent Presiding Bishop becomes an additional 12th bishop and will be based in the National Offices in Oslo but with a seat in the ancient cathedral of Nidaros (Trondheim).

Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien is presently the bishop of Borg and acts as the Presiding Bishop in an interim period until she starts in her permanent new position in August. The official inauguration of the new office and the appointment of the new bishop will be celebrated in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on Sunday, 2nd October.

Comments

  1. Unknown7 April 2011 at 18:08

    I don't like women bishops. It's against tradition.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kai12 April 2011 at 09:22

    Tradition cannot justify discrimination. Our society has moved on. If a woman is qualified and willing to serve as bishop, she should not be excluded simply because of her sex.

    ReplyDelete

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