Last week, Erik Varden was elected as the new chairman of the Nordic Bishops' Conference.
In Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, Catholics are a tiny minority with population shares in the low single-digit percentage range.
The church there is characterised by migrants and is growing. In this interview, Varden explains how he wants to be a church in this situation. Varden is the first Norwegian-born prelate in Trondheim, who is a bishop but whose prelature is not a diocese, although it is organised in a similar way.
The 50-year-old converted to the Catholic faith in 1993, studied in Cambridge and became a Trappist, between 2015 and 2019 he was abbot of the Mount St Barnard monastery. He then became prelate in Trondheim.
Question: Bishop Varden, were you surprised by the election or were you expecting it a little?
Varden: Elections are always surprising and unpredictable. But the Nordic Bishops' Conference is not big. I knew that there was a risk that I would be elected, but I hadn't given it much thought.
Question: What are your plans for your new office?
Varden: Proclaiming the gospel. Trying to be a credible representative of the good news. I am convinced that we are in the midst of a cultural upheaval in our countries. The Scandinavian countries are extremely secularised and have been for decades. In a certain sense, this process is now complete. But people remain human, they seek meaning, beauty and truth. I realise that many people are searching. This is a difficult but also exciting time for evangelisation.
Question: In Northern Europe, there are many people in whose families faith has hardly played a role for generations. How do you want to give them access to spirituality?
Varden: Many search on their own. You have to make the word audible and use all available channels intelligently for this task. The church can make a constructive contribution to culture and political discourse, but we also need to show ourselves in society. We have more to say than just "no" all the time. That may be the impression that many people have, but I think that if we listen carefully and are attentive to the signs of the times and the questions of the day, we will also find answers. We do all this in the awareness from the Easter Vigil that Jesus Christ is the same today, tomorrow and forever. As the word of life, he also offers blessed answers in our time.
Question: Can you give an example of this?
Varden: Here in Nordwegen, the world church is represented in a very concrete way. According to statistics, there are around 20,000 Catholics in the prelature of Trondheim, who come from 130 countries. That is an incredible diversity in language and culture. The diversity of sensitivities is obvious. One of the questions of our time is precisely what it means to be a society, to be a people. Without idealising our small church here, I can say that we are an example of how unity can be built out of great diversity. This is a very important Christian witness today and something very Catholic. Because we have deep roots in our own local context, but we also live in the awareness that we belong to something greater. Enduring this tension is a sign of our times.
Question: How does this work in practice? Catholic life is characterised by great distances and extreme diaspora.
Varden: By meeting people and by opening our doors wide. The church must be a meeting place for worship, but also beyond that. A home where people feel comfortable and responsible, where they talk, cook and play, where they help each other. Because even in an ostensibly rich country like Norway, poverty is growing, so charitable work is becoming increasingly important. What's more, people live far apart. It is often a two-hour drive to the nearest church. Those who do this work on a Sunday also want to maximise the benefits. This means that everyone is together after mass, chatting, eating together, the children play together and get to know each other. At the end of the day, it's all about the actual human community.
Question: As in other regions of Europe, right-wing parties are gaining popularity in Northern Europe. Do you see this as a threat to a Catholic church that is very much characterised by migrants?
Varden: We have to be careful with these currents across Europe that we don't lose our collective memory. Because we know what can come of it. However, I also see it in the light of the Bible, which warns against being too afraid of fear itself. This is especially true when it comes to the topic of migration, which is based on the question we have just discussed: What actually defines us as a society? You have to be critical and sensible here, because this is a very fearful issue. But the Catholics here are not so much of a target. Of course there is racism and I can't foresee how it will develop in the coming years. But the conflicts in our neighbouring country Sweden are much sharper and harsher than here. In general, politicians here behave intelligently in such matters.
Question: Do you personally have a better standing than your predecessors, as you are the first native Norwegian to hold this post?
Varden: I wouldn't say so. I moved away when I was 16 and spent most of my life abroad; I only came back when I was 46. So just as I am Norwegian, I also feel like a foreigner - not necessarily a disadvantage in my current role.
Question: The Catholic Church in Norway is very small, just three per cent of people are Catholic. Are you even heard in society?
Varden: The situation is changing. We have to get used to the fact that we are no longer as small as we were 30 years ago. The church in our countries has grown a lot over the past 25 years, mainly due to immigration. In percentage terms, we remain a tiny minority in Norway, but we are still talking about 250,000 Catholics. Many of them are young and are making a name for themselves in public life. We have our say, and society expects us to do the same. I realised that here in Trondheim shortly after I took office: the mayor called on us bishops to play an active role in society. We have to take that seriously and we should be grateful for it.
Question: Many of the Catholic immigrants in Norway are not employed in well-paid jobs. This means that despite growth, the church is often struggling financially. Is something changing there too?
Varden: That is actually still the case. Our resources are scarce in terms of material and personnel. There are only two full-time employees in my curia here - and one of them is me. Our structures are small, we have few premises. We actually need churches, schools and kindergartens. Sometimes the many empty spaces are overwhelming. But I know from my time in a monastery that it is not always an advantage in Christian life to be materially secure. Poverty, both spiritual and material, is a Christian characteristic. Of course we want to build a church for the future and pass something on to our successors. But as it is, we experience that many people near and far are connected to us and that we help each other. We are happy about every small step.
Question: Is the Church in Northern Europe also a role model for the universal Church, which Pope Francis wants to be poor?
Varden: I wouldn't say so: I don't see us as exemplary at all. We simply try to deal with our reality with faith in order to make something beautiful out of it, to bless people and to honour the Lord.