I. Historical Background
About 1000 years ago, Sweden became a Christian country. After the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung became the first Christian King of Sweden, Christianity in its Roman Catholic form was the state religion. The Lutheran Reformation came to Sweden in 1527. In The same year the Swedish Parliament agreed upon the transfer of the “surplus estate” of the Church to the State. This was a confirmation of interventions against bishops and monasteries that had been made somewhat earlier. After this period under King Gustav Vasa, the religious situation changed. But with the adaptation of the Augsburg Confession by the Swedish Church during the Uppsala meeting in 1593, convened by Karl IX, the Swedish Evangelical-Lutheran Church was born. It was the only church permitted in Sweden until the middle of the 18th century. Later it was gradually permitted to belong to other Christian churches. That gave way for the establishment of other Christian Churches in Sweden. In 1951 religious freedom was granted to Swedish citizens. The following period of discussions and political engagements on the abolition of the state church system ended on 1 January 2000 when the new state church system came into effect.
II. Religious affiliation today
80 % of the Swedish population belongs to the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Sweden.
With only just over 1 % of the population, the Roman Catholic Church has not much more members than the Swedish Mission Convenant Church and the Pentecostal Movement as well as Muslim groups, in several different denominations. Furthermore there are also several Jews, Methodists, Buddhists and Hindus in Sweden. So most Swedish citizens belong to a church or denomination, but there are also some non-believers. There is obviously a gradual increase in the number of inhabitants that are not members of any church or denomination. The Swedish Humanist Association currently amounts only to a few hundred members.
III. Basic Categories of the System
The state church decisions in Sweden which came into effect in the year 2000 are often described as a separation of State and Church in Sweden. But there are still several links between the Swedish State and the Church of Sweden. The changes have led to closer relations between the State and the other churches and denominations.
IV. Cultural and societal exercise of functions
Sweden has a Christian Democratic Party which is not linked with any particular church or denomination. There are schools run by religious organisations under general law as well as educational institutions for clergy and for other parish workers, which are led by the Church of Sweden and other churches. Education in state schools is non-confessional as well as in state universities. Furthermore, there are no special provisions concerning the churches and the media. But in fact, the main radio and television channels cover the religious field quite broadly. For religious assistance within the Swedish armed forces, there is an agreement which obliges the Church to make payments to the armed forces, mainly for the services of a Military Dean. In peacetime part-time employed chaplains provide religious assistance in the various military units. In wartime, the Swedish armed forces rely on compulsory military service for every man. This includes priests and pastors, who are often placed as chaplains. Religious services and cure of souls for prisoners are organised by the Swedish Christian Council on behalf of the National Prison and Probation Administration. In addition, religious assistance, through priests, deacons and other people, is offered in almost every institution for health care in Sweden.
V. Legal foundations
The Swedish legal system consists of Constitutional Acts, Acts of Parliament, and Statutes. A further tier is that of directions, given by central or regional authorities on behalf of the Government. The state church system in Sweden is reflected in the 1973 Constitution -as amended in 2000- as well as in the old Constitution of 1809, the relevant part of which is still in force. This Constitution grants religious freedom to Swedish citizens. According to the Constitution the citizens are, in relation to the State and other authorities, also protected from the obligation to belong to any denomination. The right of religious freedom is also granted to Swedish residents or visitors who are not Swedish citizens, because Sweden is a party of the European Convention of Protection of Human Rights and Basic Freedoms, which is part of the Swedish law. The constitutional Act on Succession to the Throne (1810) also contains some church provisions as well as some acts of Parliament, especially the Act on Denominations and the Church of Sweden Act.
Both of these central Acts of Parliament are part of the new state church relations in Sweden. The Act on Denominations states that the Church of Sweden is a registered denomination and gives the opportunity to other churches and denominations to become registered denominations as well. Through registration, a church or denomination acquires a legal personality as a denomination and can reap the benefits of this status. A church or a denomination can also act in another legal form, either as association or foundation. The Church of Sweden Act provides for the Church of Sweden to be the Evangelical-Lutheran open church of the whole nation, which –in a partnership between a democratic organisation and the ministry of the church– pursues activities that cover the whole country. These provisions express the identity of the Church of Sweden. The Church of Sweden Act also contains provisions concerning the international organisation of the Church. In the preparation of the new relationship between State and Church, Parliament also passed an Act on Introducing the Church of Sweden. In addition there are some other important legal sources concerning the relation between state and church, like the Funeral Act, the Cultural Heritage Act, or the Act on Contributions to Denominations. The latter allows the State to contribute to churches and denominations.