Cooperation with female priests is now a prerequisite for being appointed as a priest in the Church of Norway. This is reported by Vårt Land and Dagen. The background is a statement from president Olav Fykse Tveit who says that the bishops “will now ask all new priests if they want to work with female priests”. Only if the answer is yes, the person concerned can be added to the church. – We support that this is brought up as a topic at ordination and in the interview at all appointments, says Martin Enstad, who is leader of the Priests’ Association (full answer in fact box). The question of “coexistence” and female priests has swirled this summer around the so-called Johannes circle, which has called for freedom of conscience for their theological conviction that only men can be priests. When asked if there is still room for their beliefs in the church, the answer from the press is straightforward: The answer is no. President Olav Fykse Tveit says that the bishops “will now ask all new priests if they want to work with female priests”. Photo: FRODE FJERDINGSTAD / FRODE FJERDINGSTAD This is how they argue for and against female priests Those who argue against women being able to be priests often base their arguments on texts from the Bible. Here are some of the key Bible verses: Those who argue for female priests like to say that the Bible texts in question cannot be read literally these days and must be interpreted in the context in which they were said. From this side, it is often argued that opposition to female priests conflicts with the Bible’s general message about women. About 20-30 priests Priests who are already employed in the church, but who for various reasons resisted working with female colleagues, will not be covered by the new “ban”. Of around 1,200 active priests in the Church of Norway, there are a maximum of 20-30 priests who have the same basic theological view as the Johanneskretsen. Fykse Tveit adds that these should consider whether they have a future in the church. Lawyer Jan-Erik Sverre has previously stated that the Church of Norway has the promise on its side if it says goodbye to priests who are reserved towards women. The new tightening comes after the Bishops’ Conference’s statement from 2020 that it will no longer be possible to reserve against cooperating with female priests, as the controversial “driving rules” allow. The driving rules, among other things, called for “creative roster management” so that there were no confrontations or demonstrative absences at the alter ring and other places. The implementation of the 2020 rules has nevertheless indicated a problem, and in a “clarification” from 2021, the tone against those who boycott female priests was further sharpened. – An important and necessary follow-up after the statement to the bishops’ meeting Martin Enstad, leader of the Priests’ Association – I think the president’s statement is a natural follow-up to the Bishops’ meeting’s statement from 2020. The priests’ association supports that this be taken up as a topic at ordination and in the interview for all appointments. Collaboration networks are a serious working environment problem and must be followed up closely. Mari Saltkjel, provost in Nordfjord – I am glad that president Fykse Tveit is coming up with this clarification. There is an important and necessary follow-up after the statement to the bishops’ meeting. I have previously stated that employers’ handling of opposition to women’s priesthood has led to a lack of trust in employers. I think this clarification can contribute to trust and predictability. I also thought it was important that president Fykse Tveit highlighted the issue as a working environment problem, and not a theological issue. As I see it, women’s priesthood cannot be discussed on different terms than men’s without this leading to a problematic view of women. Beate Iren Lerdahl, leader of the Norwegian Women’s Theological Association It is gratifying that the press comes with such a clear clarification of what this means in practice. Nevertheless, we learn that there are significant problems linked to the working environment where women priests work. How DNK as an employer solves this in a way that takes care of women’s need for a predictable and collegial working environment remains to be seen. Therese Utgård Aas, church council member – I thought it was good that the president is so clear, on behalf of the bishops and our church. I still think it is essential to ensure a good working environment around the priests and in the communities where the priests who today cannot or do not want to work with female priests – whether it concerns newly appointed or experienced male priests. Here, the bishops must be clear and ensure everyone a working environment where they are fully valued as professionals and as human beings. Here the bishops are responsible for ensuring that it is not the female priests who have to give way or it gets worse. The Church must now finally be clear to the leaders, in each individual diocese, that the time for reservations or accommodation for men who do not recognize female priests is over. Kjersti Boge, priest – I hope that all bishops and diocesan councils follow this up in practice, when hiring in the church and with follow-up of the priests who do not want to cooperate with female priests. Female priests should completely avoid such working environment problems, in order to do the best possible job in the service they have been given. – I am very happy. This is coming late, but good, says Gyrid Gunnes. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – This is coming late, but good – If there is a working environment problem because a male priest refuses to cooperate with a female priest, then the bishop must follow up on this as a personnel matter, said Fykse Tveit in October last year. Some still wished for even stronger lye. – In principle, there should not be priests in DNK who do not cooperate with women, and this should be something that all bishops as employers undertake to ask about in interviews, said priest Gyrid Gunnes. With the statement from the press this week, her prayers have been answered. – I am very happy. This is coming late, but good, says Gunnes today. – One objection is that it will now be lower under the roof in the church? – Only if you define ceiling height as the right to discriminate. Assistant Secretary General of the Norwegian Church Academies, Guri Riksaasen, points to the same “building regulations”: – It is quite natural that a community of faith, or a community of faith, has some external boundaries for what fell within and what fell outside the community. We cannot, within one and the same community of faith, cover different communion tables that include and exclude everything according to the conscience of the individual.
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Now there is an “occupational ban” for those who do not want to work with female priests – news Vestland
