Some are particularly offended that her image as a priest is associated with certain political decisions of her husband. “The problem is the confusion of roles. Is she sitting there as a representative of the Church of Sweden or government policy?” says theologian Joel Halldorf, in the journal The Express. “A priest is always a priest but must not always appear as a priest“, headlined the independent editorial weekly Church Newspaper. “The function is deeper than a priest’s visible collar. It’s not necessary to wear it in every setting, maybe it’s not even appropriate? That the priest, in all situations, must be ready to carry out his function does not mean that the priest’s shirt must always be worn. It simply doesn’t need to be visible in a pub, while traveling, on a beach – or even at a Nobel party or state visit.”writes vicar Berth Löndahl.
In July 2023, the first lady did not deviate from her rule and appeared in the official photos of the NATO summit wearing her cassock underneath a long orange tunic. This intrusion by the Swedish Church into an official gathering has sparked widespread criticism. The moment was indeed extremely delicate, because the summit focused on Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s admission to the Atlantic Alliance. Annika Strandhäll, Social Democratic MP, protested that the First Lady “shows so openly that she represents the Church of Sweden at a NATO meeting” while this Church “partially opposes NATO membership.
The mixture of the two institutions – clerical and state – therefore makes part of the Swedish population uncomfortable. “This is because it challenges, to a certain extent, the image of the secular state and the public sphere as a kind of religiously neutral zone. explains priest Carl Sjösvärd Birger, ordained at the same time as Birgitta Ed. But for Joel Halldorf it shows “a country that has matured in its relationship with religion and does not need to be protected from the mere sight of religious symbols […]. This Sweden has more room not only for Christians, but also for Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and other religious minorities.”
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