wfn.org | Gunnar St†lsett - new Bishop of Oslo will be consecrated May 24

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Vision of an open folk church

OSLO, Norway/GENEVA, 16 April 1998 (lwi) - Former general secretary of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Gunnar St†lsett, 63, was appointed as
Bishop of Oslo in the (Lutheran) Church of Norway by the Norwegian
government March 27. The consecration will take place May 24 in Olso's
cathedral. St†lsett will succeed retiring Bishop Andreas Aarflot who has
served 21 years as bishop and primus inter pares "first among equals" among
the bishops in the Norwegian capital.

St†lsett received the second highest number of votes in the election
performed by the church representatives last February. The 56-year-old
Bishop Odd Bondevik of More diocese won the election. The government is not
bound to the result of the election but can appoint any of the shortlisted
candidates. Norwegian government minister for church affairs, Jon Lilletun,
recommended the appointment of Bondevik, but the government decided
otherwise and appointed St†lsett. Norwegian minister for culture, Anne
Enger Lahnstein, said in a press interview with the Norwegian newspaper
Vaart Land, that St†lsett would be a better guarantee for an open and
tolerant folk church. Of the total population, 87.9 percent belong to the
Church of Norway.

Traditionally, the Bishop of Oslo chairs the Bishops' Conference because
the Church of Norway does not have an archbishop. As the Bishops'
Conference itself elects its chairperson, the official naming of St†lsett
as primus inter pares is still to come.

"St†lsett will bring dimension of globality, peace and justice", Noko says

Ishmael Noko, St†lsett's successor as LWF general secretary, warmly
welcomed the appointment: "Dr. St†lsett brings with him valuable experience
as a pastor, teacher, theologian, ecumenist, and one that is concerned with
peace, justice and reconciliation with a strong emphasis for justice for
the Third World nations and churches."

"He will add a dimension of globality to ongoing local discussions in the
church to the Church of Norway. His experience as a peace maker on an
international level, his knowledge of the international scene, his
friendship with many church leaders and theologians around the world will
be an asset for his episcopal responsibilities," Noko said.

Norway - a multicultural, multireligious society

In an exhaustive interview with Vaart Land, March 30, St†lsett underlines
his conviction that the Church of Norway should become an open evangelical
folk church which is also to be reflected in the governing structures. "A
folk church should be a church for all who are baptized. Too many church
members are regarded by the 'inner circle' in the church as 'alien to the
church' and as a consequence this has become the self-understanding of many
people toward their church", he said. St†lsett wants to help people find
their way back home to the church where they became full members through
baptism.

St†lsett does not want to rule out the possibility of a form of state
church in Norway in the future, but says it would be necessary to change a
number of things in the existing structure. "First of all, we have to take
seriously that Norway today is more than ever before a multicultural and
multireligious society. This must have consequences on the state's relation
to our church". For example, St†lsett says he thinks that freedom of
religion is not taken seriously in the legislation regarding the teaching
of religion in public schools. In his opinion, religious instruction should
not be confessional (Lutheran) but each church and religious community
should receive public support for religious instruction according to their
own confession.

Based on his experiences as LWF general secretary, St†lsett says, "It is
strange how we can request privileges for the Church of Norway which our
sister churches in other countries do not have - and sometimes even do not
want to have."

Gunnar St†lsett has held a variety of posts in church and society. From
1970-1977 he was general secretary of the Church of Norway Council on
Ecumenical and International Relations, from 1982-1985 general secretary of
the Norwegian Bible Society, from 1985-1994 LWF general secretary, and
since 1994 he heads the seminary for practical theology at the University
of Oslo. His career as a politician culminated in his chairmanship of the
Norwegian Center Party (Senterpartiet) 1977-1979. He is chairperson of
Norwegian Church Aid. From 1985-1991, and again since 1994, St†lsett is a
member of the Nobel Peace Price Committee.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
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