In the Church of Sweden it is one Lutheran, one vote
A church election showcases a tradition of Christian democracy
UNLIKE ENGLAND, Thailand or Iran, Sweden no longer has a state religion. The Church of Sweden, Europe’s biggest Lutheran denomination, was formally severed from government back in 2000. But its roots are deep: it traces its history to a 16th-century squabble between King Gustav Vasa and the Pope. About half of Swedes still belong to it. And true to the country’s democratic spirit they get to vote on who runs it. On September 19th some 17% of the church’s 5.7m members cast ballots for its governing synod.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Chosen ones”
From the September 25th 2021 edition
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