The prelate of Trondheim replaces Bishop Czesław Kozon of Copenhagen at the head of the Bishops' Conference of the five Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as the NBK announced on Wednesday.
The Bishop of Helsinki, Raimo Goyarrola, was elected deputy chairman. The Bishop of Reykjavik, David Tencer, was re-elected as a member of the Standing Council, as were Secretary General Anna Mirijam Kaschner .
In an initial statement, Varden said that the main task of the Bishops' Conference was to promote the Church's evangelising efforts. "The Catholic presence in our countries is growing; spiritually and materially, we want to accompany this growth intelligently and support all good initiatives," said the new chairman.
Varden has headed the territorial prelature of Trondheim since 2019. He was consecrated bishop in 2020. This makes him the first Norwegian-born bishop of Trondheim since the Reformation.
His five predecessors were bishops from Germany.
Since 2023, Varden has also been Apostolic Administrator of the second Norwegian territorial prelature of Tromsø.
Before his time as prelate, the Norwegian-born Trappist was Abbot of Mount St Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (United Kingdom).
Kozon, who has headed the NBK since 2015, was unable to stand for re-election as he will be 75 years old in the coming term of office and will therefore reach the mandatory retirement age for bishops.
Around 250,000 Catholics live in the seven sub-churches - five dioceses and two territorial prelatures - of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, most of whom are immigrants. In reform debates, the NBK is generally rather sceptical.
In 2022, they wrote an open letter open letter to the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference Bishop Georg Bätzing, with clear criticism of the synodal path.
In the same year, Kozon said that Nordic Catholics do not want major church reforms. want major church reforms.