Swedish Mission Province Bishop Defrocked

Cyberbretheren ^ | 25 February, 2005 | Bengt Birgersson

[sauerkraut]

Press release from the Mission Province

Gothenburg and Karlstad February 25, 2005

As expected, the Cathedral Chapter in Karlstad, in session yesterday, February 24, has taken away from the bishop in the Mission Province, Arne Olsson, the authority to exercise the pastoral office in the Church of Sweden.

Arne Olsson was consecrated on February 5 as bishop in the Mission Province. The Cathedral Chapter's justification is that Arne Olsson has violated his pastoral vows which bear upon loyalty to the Church of Sweden's orders, with reference to Church Order 2000, chapter 31, paragraph 12.1.

During the meeting with the Cathedral Chapter, Bishop Arne Olsson put forward the following arguments, among others, in defense of his letting himself be consecrated as bishop in the Mission Province:

- Faithfulness and obedience to the leading paragraph of the Church of Sweden's Church Order, which says that the Bible as God's Word and the Church of Sweden's confession stand over all other orders--this requires action.

- The Mission Province is a part of the Church of Sweden but an order/structure alongside of the Church of Sweden's structure.

- A large group of church people has wanted him as bishop, chosen him, and called on bishops from the worldwide Lutheran church, and through them has installed him as bishop in order to, among other things, ordain such pastors as they have confidence in.

- It is the church's distress which has necessitated this step, inasmuch as the Church of Sweden's bishops no longer follow God's Word/the word of the Bible and furthermore refus to ordain such ones as pastors who do not in practice fully accept the Church of Sweden's new order for the pastoral office.

- There is a series of examples of how pastors in the Church of Sweden were chosen and consecrated as bishops with a jurisdiction outside the Church of Sweden without for that reason losing the right to exercise the pastoral office in the Church of Sweden.

The decision was expected and we in the Mission Province view with concern and sorrow how the Church of Sweden's leadership step by step marginalizes those who advocate biblical, apostolic faith and genuine Christian life. We believe that the decision does more harm to the Church of Sweden than to the Mission Province.

The best of greetings, Bengt Birgersson Province Secretary in the Mission Province

[sauerkraut]

How Episcopalian of the CoS: follow all the rules except the ones that bind them to the Word of God.

[Charles Henrickson]

It caught my attention when I saw this thread pop up just now. What you've posted is the Swedish press release that I translated and posted here on FR last night under the headline, Church of Sweden defrocks Mission Province bishop, as part of the ongoing thread, Controversial group has gotten their own bishop (Mission Province in Sweden). I then sent the same to Paul McCain, who in turn sent it out on his Cyberbrethren blog/list.

But I notice you're not on either the Swedish or the Lutheran ping lists, which I pinged, so I can understand how you might have missed it.

Anyhow, sauerkraut, I'm glad you posted this again.