Roman Catholicism in Iceland

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The Catholic Church in Iceland is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope. The current Bishop of the Diocese of Reykjavík is H.E. Msgr. Pierre Bürcher.[1] The diocese is not part of any ecclesiatical province (there is no archbishop or responsible archdiocese), and the bishop reports directly to the Holy See in Rome.

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[edit] Statistics

As of 2008, there were 8,000 Catholics in Iceland, with 6 diocesan priests, 9 religious order priests, and 38 sisters in religious orders.

[edit] 20th century

In the twentieth century Iceland had some notable, if at times temporary, converts to the Catholic faith. For a time Halldór Laxness was a Catholic. Although this did not last, his Catholic period is of importance due to his position in modern Icelandic literature. A more consistently Catholic writer in Icelandic was Jón Sveinsson. He moved to France at the age of 13 and became a Jesuit. He remained in the Society of Jesus for the rest of his life. He was well-liked as a children's book author (though he did not write in Icelandic) and he even appeared on a postage stamp there. In 1989, Pope John Paul II visited Iceland.

[edit] 21st century

The number of Catholics in Iceland, a predominantly Protestant country, comprises just under 2% of the population and is the second largest denomination in the country. The Diocese of Reykjavík covers the whole of Iceland. There is a Christ the King Cathedral (Dómkirkja Krists Konungs) in Reykjavík and a number of smaller churches and chapels in the larger towns. The Bishop of Reykjavík participates in the Scandinavian Bishops Conference.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Cf. Holy See Press Office, Daily Bulletin of 30.10.2007, Rinunce e nomine, Rinuncia del Vescovo di Reykjavik (Islanda) e nomina del successore (Italian)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


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