For the Church of Sweden, National Level National Sweden, of Church the for Summary Financial and Review 2012
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årsredovisning 2012 för svenska kyrkans nationella nivå level national sweden, of church the for summary financial and review 2012 for the church of sweden, national level national sweden, of church the for 2012 REVIEW AND FINANCIAL SUMMARY FOR THE CHURCH OF SWEDEN, NATIONAL LEVEL contents The Archbishop 4 The Secretary-General 7 About the Church of Sweden 9 Report of the Board 10 Sustainability Accounts 24 How the Church of Sweden is run 30 The dioceses of the Church of Sweden 31 Financial summary 32 Income statements 33 Balance sheets 34 GRI Reporting Profile, Sustainability Accounts 36 The Central Board of the Church of Sweden 38 For those of you who want to find out more 40 Image gallery 41 The Church of Sweden Faith Community (Trossamfundet Svenska kyrkan) Organisation registration number 252002-6135 4 the archbishop, chair of the central board of the church of sweden Is religion DANGEROUS? keep religion in its place! Although tion. What is holy becomes holier and more not that it means a different kind of service. practically no one will say so out loud, it’s separate and different. When the religion is In the past it was perhaps thought that what many people think. As people of the not as well known, expectations grow – preaching was best left to priests. But every- church, what is our attitude to that? Can both within and outside the religion – that one can serve God in their day-to-day life. we stand up for the belief that religion plays the boundaries of the religion should be Our tradition also emphasises that this is an important part in society? more visible and more clearly defined. the core of a Christian attitude to life, Many people think that a non-religious This is a challenge for our Evangeli- which is immeasurably more important approach is a neutral approach. Some worry cal-Lutheran tradition. It has emphasised than the boundary for who is within or out- that religious freedom, in the sense of the side the Church. In short, our tradition rights of faith communities, will take over doesn’t really match the expectations that other basic freedoms and rights. And some “The right to religion is something delimited and sepa- ask themselves whether it is right that new rate. It is good to be clear about this so that Swedes who come here from other countries, spirituality means we don’t talk at cross purposes time and people who don’t understand how we sepa- time again. Our tradition regards faith as a rate the religious from the secular, should freedom to good sourdough (leaven) that can change turn back the clock on progress, for example. all of life without the actual sourdough al- Many of us have encountered these ques- access and ways being visible. tions in the past year. The discussions about end-of-term school services in churches are practise religion.” atheists who believe one such example. Another is the question We have many believers in Sweden. Atheists of calls to prayer from a mosque in Stock- that Christian life is lived in our everyday are also believers. There are reasons for holm. A third example is the false notion life, not in a separate parish community. atheism. For me, the reasons for believing that many ongoing armed conflicts are pri- Caring about our fellow humans should not in God have been in the majority through- marily religious conflicts. You may also en- stem from hopes that God will reward us; out my life, largely as a result of personal counter the opinion that you cannot hold instead it should stem from the insight that experiences. But no one has proved the religious beliefs and be a serious scientist at serving each other is an essential part of a truth of either atheism or belief in God. It is the same time; this is a relatively new idea life lived responsibly. Both believers and not scientific to be an atheist. Atheism or in Sweden, for example. non-believers serve each other in this way, faith in God is a matter of belief. Irrespec- with the same consequences. We believe tive of whether we believe in God, we are let the good leaven, sourdough, that a life in which the means of grace – limited by what empirical data and ration- permeate the whole dough prayer, the Word of God and the Sacra- ality can give us when we try to make sense Sacralisation is usually part of secularisa- ments – are used can reinforce this service, of worldly things. And we can leave scope the archbishop, chair of the central board of the church of sweden 5 for whether anything exists outside this into question. The foundation of the letter both tradition and religion are fixed and be- area or not, and whether this something can was thus the right of individuals to religious long in museums. They are instead ongoing reach us here. The question of whether freedom, exactly like in the Universal Dec- struggles with life, based on what we have there is a benevolent power, in whose hand laration of Human Rights. During the year, taken over from the past, including the Bib- everything ultimately rests, must be an- all members of the National Interfaith lical stories, and how we deal with the here swered in faith, both by the atheist and the Council of Sweden also signed a declaration and now. No one can force these things believer. that emphasised the freedom to practise or onto anyone in a modern society. They can reject religion and the importance of being only talk about them and let other people human rights and religious freedom able to leave a faith community or change try them and evaluate them. Openly. The Universal Declaration of Human your religious affiliation. All world religions Last year I convened the meeting about Rights evolved in creative interplay be- are represented in the Interfaith Council children and young people, Barn & Unga. It tween religions and with experiences from through leaders in Sweden. was about children’s right to spirituality. both totalitarianism and libertarianism. It is Many people are surprised that this is stat- an issue of individuals’ rights, not the rights religion that is hidden away can ed in the Convention on the Rights of the of faith systems. Neither the right to reli- turn into absolutely anything Child. In a Swedish context, religious free- gious freedom nor any other rights are When the Swedish National Agency for Ed- dom mostly stands for freedom from reli- superior to each other. Conflicts arise be- ucation says that the creed must not be in- gion. An authoritarian religious heritage tween them and they must be resolved in cluded in end-of-term school services, head can result in such a situation. But the right open legal processes. Religious freedom has teachers need not worry; it has probably to spirituality means freedom to access and often acted as a lever for political libera- never ever been part of such services. But practise religion. Thinking in this way re- tion, even for the breakthrough of democ- together head teachers and priests have of- quires re-orientation and reflection among racy in our country! ten tried to find the common ground on representatives of the state and of the reli- In a letter that was barely noticed during which the school and the Church stand. gions. The Church of Sweden must play its the year, the collective Christian community Schools belong to society. Many years have part. in Sweden – ranging from Orthodox believ- passed since they belonged to the Church. ers and Catholics to the Pentecostal Move- In its living tradition, the Church safe- ment – criticised Catherine Ashton, who is guards stories, experiences, hymns and en- the EU’s High Representative of the Union counters that can facilitate and deepen un- for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The derstanding of these common values. We letter stated that she did not sufficiently highlight them, but do not force them onto consider the religious freedom of individu- anyone. Anyone who thinks that you can anders wejryd als, and instead considered religious lead- draw a clear dividing line between religion Archbishop and Chair of the Central Board ers’ and faith systems’ fear of being called and tradition, has probably believed that of the Church of Sweden 6 the archbishop, chair of the central board of the church of sweden SHARE LIFE – share faith in 2012 the most talked about deci- Church of Sweden’s joint IT platform. More dialogue with the dioceses about how best sion at the national level concerned the lo- administrative cooperation is to be expected to structure this support. cal level. The General Synod decided to in the future, for example concerning ac- change the local structures of the Church of counting and payroll administration. child impact analyses Sweden, and this decision provides new op- Another issue that has been investigated In November 2012, the General Synod portunities for parishes to coordinate their over a long period of time concerns the adopted a written communication about activities. It also enables local involvement Church’s educational organisation. In child impact analyses, which is being incor- to be strengthened. March 2012, the Committee for Education, porated into the Church Ordinance. Child The report that preceded the decision was impact analyses must be performed when called Närhet och Samverkan (Closeness matters are drafted in preparation for a de- and collaboration). The preparation was “Cooperation cision – at all levels. In addition, children’s permeated by the ambition of combining an perspectives based on a child impact analy- effective local community with rational means sharing life.” sis must be taken into account in parishes’ management.