Catholic Church in Denmark

Last updated

Emblem of the Papacy SE.svg
Catholic Church in Denmark
Danish: Katolske kirke i Danmark
Sankt Ansgar Kirke (St. Ansgar Cathedral) 2017.jpg
Type National polity
Classification Catholic
Orientation Latin
Scripture Bible
Theology Catholic theology
Polity Episcopal
Governance Nordic Bishops' Conference
Pope Francis
Bishop of Copenhagen Czeslaw Kozon
Region Denmark
Language Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic, Latin
Headquarters Copenhagen, Denmark
Official website The Catholic Church in Denmark

The Catholic Church in Denmark (Danish : Den Katolske kirke i Danmark) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Diocese of Copenhagen covers the whole of the country, as well as the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and as such is one of the geographically largest Catholic dioceses by area in the world.

Contents

Catholicism was the state religion of Demark from around the 10th century until the Reformation in Denmark when Catholicism was banned in Denmark. Full religious freedom was introduced through the Constitution of 1849, allowing the Church to re-emerge. As of 2022, the number of Catholics in Denmark, a predominantly Lutheran country, is increasing. Catholics account for less than 1% of the population. [1]

History

Christianization

The first recorded Christian missionary to preach in Denmark was Willibrord, who around 710 unsuccessfully attempted to convert King Ongendus. In 831, Pope Gregory IV appointed Ansgar to oversee the mission in the Nordics. He was designated a papal legate and the archbishop of the newly created Archbishopric of Hamburg. Danish vikings sacked Hamburg in 845, forcing Ansgar to flee to Bremen. The seat of the archbishopric moved with him and the Archibishopric of Hamburg-Bremen was then responsible for the church's mission in the Nordic region for the next 150 years. Ansgar died in 865. Within his lifetime he managed to establish but two churches in Denmark: one in Hedeby and the other in Ribe. It is difficult to determine whether his efforts made a lasting impact on the Christianization of Denmark, given their strong and at times violent rejection by Medieval vikings. [2]

Map of Catholic dioceses in Denmark during the Middle Ages, showing the ancient dioceses of Aarhus, Borglum, Lund, Odense, Ribe, Roskilde, Schleswig, and Viborg. DanskeStifterMiddelalderen.png
Map of Catholic dioceses in Denmark during the Middle Ages, showing the ancient dioceses of Aarhus, Børglum, Lund, Odense, Ribe, Roskilde, Schleswig, and Viborg.

Christianity began to spread in Denmark in the mid-10th century. Mission dioceses were established in Jutland around 948. Legend has it that in 960, a missionary nammed Poppa or Poppo converted Harald Bluetooth after holding red-hot iron without being burned. [2] However, Harald did not officially convert to Catholicism until after a peace agreement with the Holy Roman Empire. [3] A diocese was established in Odense around 965. Around 1022, Roskilde became the episcopal seat of Zealand and in 1060 Lund became the episcopal seat of Skåneland. Bishop Adalbert of Hamburg-Bremen divided the kingdom between eight dioceses, which remained unchanged until the 19th century. [2]

Canute IV, who reigned from 1080 to 1086, strongly supported the bishopric of Lund. Under the reign of Canute's brother, Eric I, Lund became the seat of a new archbishopric for the Nordic region, independent from the bishop of Hamburg-Bremen. In 1152 Norway received its own independent diocese, followed by Sweden in 1164, making the Diocese of Lund the seat of the Catholic Church in Denmark. The 12th century saw a number of monastic orders established in Denmark, namely Benedictines, Cistercians, Premonstratensians, Augustinians, and Johannites. Franciscan and Dominican orders were established in the 13th century. The reign of Margaret I saw the establishment of orders of Carmelites and Bridgettines. Pope Sixtus IV gave Denmark permission to establish its own university in Copenhagen in 1479. [2]

The period between the mid-10th century and the late 11th saw wooden churches erected across the kingdom. In the late 11th and 12th centuries many of these structures were replaced with stone churches. A large number of churches were erected in the 15th century, which are characterised by brightly colored frescoes. [2]

Protestant Reformation

Beginning in 1526, Christian congregations without ties to the Catholic Church began to form in Denmark, predominantly in larger cities. Through the Count's Feud, Christian III came to power in 1536 and implemented the Reformation across the Kingdom. As a result, all of the Catholic Church's properties were seized by the crown, including its monasteries and churches. [4] On 12 August 1536, all the Catholic bishops in Denmark were arrested by order of Christian III. [5] The crown installed new bishops, titled as superintendents, to replace the leadership of the former catholic dioceses, but on a local level church life typically remained the same and most parish priests maintained their positions. [4]

Catholicism was forbidden in Denmark and the presence of foreign Catholics in Denmark and Norway was de facto criminalized in 1569. Anti-catholic legislation was introduced on several occasions, including in the Danske Lov of 1683. [6] Danish subjects were forbidden to study at Jesuit schools abroad and risked banishment if they converted to Catholicism. With the exception of the free towns of Fredericia and Friedrichstadt—where religious freedom was established for Jews, Catholics, and Calvinists for economic reasons—no non-Lutheran religious community was established in Denmark before the freedom of religion was introduced in 1849. However, foreign dignitaries were allowed to conduct private church services in their homes, which were in principle only to be attended by their own household. This exception was first granted to the French ambassador in 1671, and introduced as a general rule in the Danske Lov of 1683. In the 18th century, the Austrian Embassy used this rule to function as a church for a small population of local Catholics, primarily foreign soldiers, officers, and courtiers. [5] [6]

In 1622, Pope Gregory XV established the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. The body was given jurisdiction over former Catholic regions, including the Nordic states, with the intention of re-establishing Catholicism in the region. In 1667, an Apostolic Vicariate was established to specifically oversee this campaign in the Nordic region. [6] Although Catholicism was still suppressed in Denmark, Catholics were granted the freedom to organize in the Danish West Indies in 1754. This exception was likely granted because the majority of the colony's population were not of Danish origins. By 1840, the number of Catholics in the Danish West Indies exceeded 12,000. [5]

Re-establishment

The constitution of 1849 provided for religious freedom and the Catholic Church was again allowed to spread in Denmark. In 1850 there were approximately 1,000 Catholics in Denmark. Initially, the reestablished Catholic Church in Denmark was within the Nordic vicariate, overseen by the bishop of Osnabrück. In 1868, Denmark was elevated to an independent apostolic prefecture and the parish priest of St. Ansgar's Cathedral, Hermann Grüder (1828–1883) was appointed as prefect by the Vatican. At the time, there were two Catholic parishes in Denmark, the first in Copenhagen and the second in Fredericia. Six new parishes were created in the late 19th century: the parish of Odense and Randers in 1867, Horsens in 1872, Aarhus in 1873, Kolding in 1882, and Svendborg in 1883. In Grüder's time as prefect the number of catholics in Denmark grew from 1,000 to approximately 3,000. [7]

Mass being held at St. Ansgar's Cathedral on 2 December 1908. Pontifikalmesse i St. Ansgars Kirke i Kobenhavn d. 2. december 1908.jpg
Mass being held at St. Ansgar's Cathedral on 2 December 1908.

Denmark was elevated to an apostolic vicariate in 1892. This meant that Denmark again had its own bishop, Johannes von Euch (1834–1922). During von Euch's tenure as bishop, the number of parishes increased from 8 to 28, while religious communities of Redemptorists, Montfortians, Camillians, and Jesuits, among others, were established. [7] By the 1920s there were 16 Catholic hospitals, 35 parishes, and around 30 schools in Denmark. [8]

By the early 1930s the number of Catholics in Denmark had increased to about 25,000. Although Catholic immigrants contributed to this increase, the majority of this number was due to conversion. Between 200 and 300 Danes converted to Catholicism each year in Denmark around the turn of the 20th century. The majority of these converts were from the working class. Because the majority of Catholic congregations in Denmark were composed of converts, mass was at times made more accessible to those familiar with Protestant services. For example, many Catholic churches allowed hymns to be sung in Danish, rather than in Latin. Because of the strong association between Grundtvig and Danish identity, Danish Catholicism is strongly influenced by Grundtvigianism, despite the later being a Protestant movement. [8]

Contemporary history

The current bishop of Copenhagen, Czeslaw Kozon (right), after mass at St. Ansgar's Cathedral, 2008. Katolicisme.jpg
The current bishop of Copenhagen, Czeslaw Kozon (right), after mass at St. Ansgar's Cathedral, 2008.

Initially, the re-established Catholic Church in Denmark had been met with resistance and Anti-Catholicism, but by the mid-20th century the church was largely accepted within Denmark. Conversion, however, had begun to stagnate, averaging approximately 170 converts annually. In 1953, the Apostolic Vicariate of Denmark was elevated to become the Diocese of Copenhagen. In Denmark the reforms following the Second Vatican Council caused many Danes to leave the Catholic Church. Their departure was somewhat mitigated by an increase in Catholic immigrants. The resulting demographic shift has meant that the Catholic Church in Denmark since the 1950s has become a diverse religious community. [8] Today, a large portion of Catholics in Denmark are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, particularly Poles, Tamils, Vietnamese boat people, and Central Africans. [9]

On 22 January 2021, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich denounced a proposed Danish law that would require translation of all sermons into the Danish language. Though Catholics believe that the proposed regulation is aimed primarily at Muslims, the Danish bishops have said that its passage will chill religious freedom for all, and place a burden on the church, which celebrates Mass in at least 9 languages nationwide. [10]

Organization

The highest office in the Catholic Church in Denmark has since 1995 been held by bishop Czeslaw Kozon, who participates in the Scandinavian Bishops Conference. Bishop Czeslaw Kozon resides in St. Ansgar's Cathedral, Copenhagen, which is dedicated to the patron saint of Denmark. [11]

List of churches

List of Catholic churches within the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands: [12]

List of Danish saints

The death of Canute IV of Denmark in the Church of Saint Albanus (1086), Christian Albrecht von Benzon, 1843. Christian-albrecht-von-benzon, the death of Canute the Holy.jpg
The death of Canute IV of Denmark in the Church of Saint Albanus (1086), Christian Albrecht von Benzon, 1843.

List of canonised Danish saints within the Catholic Church:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absalon</span> Danish bishop and statesman (c. 1128–1201)

Absalon was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of Denmark in the second half of the 12th century, and was the closest advisor of King Valdemar I of Denmark. He was a key figure in the Danish policies of territorial expansion in the Baltic Sea, Europeanization in close relationship with the Holy See, and reform in the relation between the Church and the public. He combined the ideals of Gregorian Reform with loyal support of a strong monarchical power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Canute's Cathedral</span> Church in Southern Denmark, Denmark

St. Canute's Cathedral, also known as Odense Cathedral, is named after the Danish king Canute the Saint, otherwise Canute IV. It is a fine example of Brick Gothic architecture. The church's most visited section is the crypt where the remains of Canute and his brother Benedict are on display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Denmark</span> State-supported Lutheran church

The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of the reigning monarch and Denmark's Parliament, the Folketing. As of 1 January 2024, 71.4% of the population of Denmark are members, though membership is voluntary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric IV of Denmark</span> King of Denmark and the Wends

Eric IV, also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny, was King of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Sweden</span>

The Catholic Church in Sweden is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome. It was established by Archbishop Ansgar in Birka in 829, and further developed by the Christianization of Sweden in the 9th century. King Olof Skötkonung is considered the first Christian king of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric II of Denmark</span> King of Denmark

Eric II the Memorable was king of Denmark between 1134 and 1137. Eric was an illegitimate son of Eric I of Denmark, who ruled Denmark from 1095 to 1103. Eric the Memorable rebelled against his uncle Niels of Denmark, and was declared king in 1134. He punished his adversaries severely, and rewarded his supporters handsomely. He was killed by a subject in 1137 and was promptly succeeded by his nephew Eric III of Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canute V of Denmark</span> King of Denmark

Canute V Magnussen was a King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-regent in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Canute was killed at the so-called Bloodfeast of Roskilde in 1157. Nothing certain is known about his person and character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canute Lavard</span> Duke of Schleswig and Danish prince

Canute Lavard was a Danish prince. Later he was the first Duke of Schleswig and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a German vassal, a position leading towards the historical double position of Southern Jutland. He was killed by his cousin Magnus the Strong, who saw him as a rival to the Danish throne. Canute Lavard was canonized in 1170.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen</span> Diocese of the Roman Catholic church

The Diocese of Copenhagen is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church named after its episcopal see, the Danish national capital, Copenhagen and covers all Denmark. As in neighbouring provinces, none of the pre-Reformation bishoprics were re-established after Lutheranism became the new official state church in the 16th century). The diocese also covers two Danish overseas possessions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is estimated that 36,000 (0.7%) out of the 5,516,597 inhabitants of the diocesan territory are Catholics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Norway</span>

The Catholic Church in Norway is part of the worldwide Catholic Church. As of May 2014, there were over 151,000 registered Catholics in Norway. It is claimed there are many Catholics who are not registered with their personal identification number and who are not reported by the local church; the full number may be as high as 230,000, 70% of whom were born abroad. That constitutes about 5% of the population, making Norway the most Catholic country in Nordic Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Diocese of Odense</span> Roman Catholic diocese in Denmark (c. 980 - 1536)

The former Diocese of Odense was a Roman Catholic diocese in Denmark which included the islands of Funen, Langeland, Tåsinge, Lolland, Falster, Als, and Ærø. Its episcopal see was located in Odense at St. Canute's Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianization of Scandinavia</span> Conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people

The Christianization of Scandinavia, as well as other Nordic countries and the Baltic countries, took place between the 8th and the 12th centuries. The realms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden established their own archdioceses, responsible directly to the pope, in 1104, 1154 and 1164, respectively. The conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people required more time, since it took additional efforts to establish a network of churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Diocese of Ribe</span> Catholic diocese in Denmark

The former Diocese of Ribe was a Roman Catholic diocese in Southern Jutland, Denmark. The diocese was established in 948, and dissolved in 1536 during the Protestant Reformation. Within the newly established protestant Church of Denmark, the Diocese of Ribe effectively replaced its Roman Catholic precursor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hvide</span> Medieval Danish clan

The Hvide clan was a medieval Danish clan, and afterwards in early modern era a Danish noble surname of presumably one surviving branch of leaders of that clan. Before the 16th century it was not used as a surname. It signified the color white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo</span> Catholic diocese in Norway

The Diocese of Oslo is an exempt Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Oslo in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringsted Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Denmark

Ringsted Abbey was one of the earliest and most influential Benedictine houses in Denmark, active from the late 11th-century until the Danish Reformation. It was located at Ringsted on the Danish island of Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted</span> Church building in Ringsted Municipality, Denmark

St. Bendt's Church is a church in Ringsted, Denmark, which was originally part of a Benedictine monastery that burnt down in the 18th century. Built in the Romanesque style, it is the oldest brick church in Scandinavia, dating back to about 1170 when it replaced a travertine church from about 1080. It is considered to be one of Denmark's architecturally finest churches. Furthermore, it is of special historical interest as it is the first Royal church in Denmark and it houses the tombs of many of Denmark's earlier monarchs and noblemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Ansgar's Cathedral</span> Church in Copenhagen, Denmark

Saint Ansgar's Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen, which encompasses all of Denmark, including the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It was consecrated in 1842 and became a cathedral in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skjalm Hvide</span> Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age

Skjalm Hvide, was the Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age (793–1066) and up to his death. Skjalm's father was Toke Trylle, whose father was Slag, based on Absalon, a medieval account scanned, translated and published by Google.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Theodor Suhr</span>

Johannes Theodor Suhr, OSB was a Danish Roman Catholic bishop and the second Danish Roman Catholic bishop since the Reformation.

References

  1. "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Denmark". United States Department of State . 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Middelalderen". Den katolske Kirke i Danmark (in Danish). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  3. Zeeberg, Peter (2000). Saxos Danmarkshistorie (in Danish) (e-book ed.). Gads Forlag. p. 1069. ISBN   9788712047452.
  4. 1 2 "Reformationen". Den katolske Kirke i Danmark (in Danish). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Møller, Jes Fabricius; Østergård, Uffe (2013). "Lutheran Orthodoxy and Anti-Catholicism in Denmark, 1536–2011". Journal of European Studies . 31. ISBN   9789401209632.
  6. 1 2 3 "Fra reformationen til religionsfriheden (1536–1849)". Den katolske Kirke i Danmark (in Danish). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Fra 1849–1965". Den katolske Kirke i Danmark (in Danish). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Werner, Yvonne Maria (2010). "Catholic Mission and Conversion in Scandinavia: Some reflections on religion, modernisation, and identity construction". Scandinavian Journal of History . 35 (1): 68–76. doi:10.1080/03468750903132784.
  9. "Fra det Andet Vatikankoncil til i dag (1965-2000)". Den katolske Kirke i Danmark (in Danish). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  10. "Cardinal: Danish bill requiring translation of homilies threatens religious freedom". Catholic News Agency . 22 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  11. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF) (in Latin). Vol. LXXXVII. 1995. p. 530. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  12. "Menigheder med menighedsnummer". Den katolske Kirke i Danmark (in Danish). Retrieved 28 June 2024.