wfn.org | King of Norway to Name Oslo Bishop Early March

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

King of Norway to Name Oslo Bishop Early March
Bishop Gunnar Stalsett to Retire March 1

GENEVA, 14 February 2005 (LWI) - During the first week of March,
Norway's King Harald V will name a new bishop for the diocese of Oslo.
The incumbent Bishop Dr. Gunnar J. Stalsett, who was General Secretary
of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) from 1985 to 1994 will retire on
March 1. He turned 70 on February 10. 

The search process for a new bishop of Oslo has been going on since
August 2004 when the diocesan council nominated seven candidates. Since
then one more candidate was added after a vote by the parish councils
and pastors of the Oslo Diocese.

The election process is now in its final round. There are four eligible
candidates - three men and one woman: Dean Trond Bakkevig; General
Secretary Helen Bjornoy; Bishop of Borg, Ole Christian Kvarme; and
Erling J. Pettersen, Director of the Church of Norway National Council.
After a vote by the bishops of the Church of Norway, followed by the
National Council and the Oslo Diocese Council, the King, within the
Council of State, will then appoint one of the four candidates as the
new bishop at the beginning of March. 

Article 2 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway states, "The
Evangelical-Lutheran religion shall remain the official religion of the
State." The King is the head of the church and the state. Within
government, only ministers who are Church of Norway members may vote on
major decisions concerning the church. 

The bishop of Norway's capital city, Oslo, traditionally has a
prominent position in society, because of the close proximity to the
government, parliament and royal family. The diocese has 493,000 members
in 77 parishes served by 170 pastors. 

The Church of Norway has eleven bishops. The Bishops' Conference elects
its president every four years. The position is currently held by Bishop
Finn Wagle, Nidaros Diocese.

The Church of Norway has 3.9 million members, representing around 87
percent of the Norwegian population. It joined the LWF in 1947. (342
words) 

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 66 million Christians. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be
freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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