Church

The following articles have been tagged with "Church":

Undertakers face cost of drunken coffin spillage

National: 20 Nov 09
Two sisters are claiming damages from a firm of funeral directors after their father's coffin was plunged ungracefully into a grave by undertakers unsteady on their feet. READ »

Swedish comic to exact TV revenge on Vatican

Society: 13 Nov 09
Gay Swedish comic and author Jonas Gardell has announced plans to use his religious TV programme to respond to a snub from the Vatican to bar him from Rome's churches claiming that Jesus would not have shut him out. READ »

What's on in Sweden: November 13 - 19

Lifestyle: 12 Nov 09
What's on in Sweden: International film festival & monster truck extravaganza in Stockholm; Cliff Richard & The Shadows (UK) in Gothenburg; Tower of Power (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Sweden's first lesbian bishop consecrated in Uppsala

Society: 9 Nov 09
The Church of Sweden on Sunday ordained a female pastor as the country's first openly homosexual bishop, just weeks after approving gay marriages. READ »

One in five priests refuse to wed same-sex couples

National: 7 Nov 09
A week has passed since homosexual couples were given the right to tie the knot in church. Yet, 18 percent of priests in the Gothenburg region say they refuse to preside over gay weddings. READ »

School in swine flu jab drive after young girl dies

National: 5 Nov 09
Medical authorities in Haparanda in northern Sweden have begun vaccinating all pupils at a school in the town following the swine flu-related death of an 8-year-old Finnish girl. READ »

What's on in Sweden: November 6 - 12

Lifestyle: 4 Nov 09
What's on in Sweden: Selam African festival & gospel munificence in Stockholm; Cirque du Soleil and MJ Thriller in Gothenburg; Oumou Sangaré in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Anglicans snub Swedish lesbian bishop

Society: 4 Nov 09
Anglican bishops from England and Northern Ireland have rebuffed invitations to attend the ordination of the openly gay Eva Brunne to be the next Bishop of Stockholm. READ »

Carnal knowledge: A sex scandal made in Sweden

Analysis & Opinion: 2 Nov 09
Classroom warfare has erupted in Sweden as conservative commentators are appalled by what they view as a "try everything" approach to sex education in the nation's schools, writes The Local's Christine Demsteader. READ »

Iris, 92, honoured for wartime code-cracking heroics

Society: 30 Oct 09
Iris Kramer, a Brit living in Sweden, has been honoured by the British government in recognition of services for her efforts cracking enemy codes during World War II. READ »

All Saints: lighting a candle for the past

Lifestyle: 29 Oct 09
This weekend is All Saints, Allhelgonahelg, when every graveyard in Sweden bathes in the glow of hundreds of flickering candles lit by Swedes coming to remember their dead. READ »

Church of Sweden says yes to gay marriage

National: 22 Oct 09
The Synod of the Lutheran Church of Sweden has come down in favour of church weddings for homosexuals in a vote held on Thursday morning. READ »

Swedish pastor fined for fingering figs

Society: 16 Oct 09
A Church of Sweden pastor has been convicted of shoplifting and ordered to pay a 5,100 kronor ($734) for stealing, among other things, a jar of figs marinated in cognac. READ »

Little Sweden on the Prairie

Travel: 12 Oct 09
Välkommen till Lindsborg - Between barbecued ribs and meatballs, Robert La Bua finds Swedish culture alive and well in Little Sweden, USA. READ »

Woman murdered in Malmö shootings

National: 10 Oct 09
A man and a woman in their twenties were found with gun-shot wounds to the head in Malmö in the early hours of Saturday morning. The female victim later died from injuries sustained. READ »

'Divine intervention' gives Swedish town gas

Society: 8 Oct 09
Drivers in eastern Sweden can soon fill their tanks at a village petrol station operated by the Church of Sweden. READ »

Outrage over drunken Swedish pastor's funeral service

Society: 2 Oct 09
A family from Skåne in southern Sweden has demanded compensation from the Church of Sweden claiming that the pastor employed to conduct a funeral had consumed a glass too many in the vestry. READ »

Parish councillor jailed for raping grandchildren

National: 1 Oct 09
A Church of Sweden parish councillor from Stockholm has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for the repeated rape of his grandchildren. READ »

Vatican 'knew of bishop's Holocaust denials'

National: 23 Sep 09
The Vatican was aware of statements by a rebel bishop in which he questioned the existence of the Nazi gas chambers before it decided to lift the bishop's excommunication, according to a Stockholm bishop. READ »

Sex rumours land loose-lipped Swedish pastor in hot water

Society: 23 Sep 09
A pastor in Malmö in southern Sweden has been accused of leaking intimate details of a woman's sex life to other members of the congregation. READ »

Gains for gay marriage foes in church elections

Society: 21 Sep 09
Opponents of same-sex marriage made significant gains in Sweden’s church elections on Sunday, on a voter turnout of barely 12 percent. READ »

Swedes set to ignore church elections

National: 20 Sep 09
Polling booths are opening across Sweden on Sunday morning to welcome voters in the national church elections. The election is however expected to be given the cold shoulder by 90 percent of registered voters. READ »

Sahlin slammed for partying in Majorca

Politics: 18 Sep 09
Social Democrat party leader Mona Sahlin has been criticized for partying with celebrities in Majorca instead of staying at home to campaign in the run-up for the church elections on September 20th. READ »

Swedish pastor cited after family burial

Society: 12 Sep 09
A pensioned Church of Sweden pastor has landed himself in hot holy water after performing a burial service for a person who was not a member of the flock. READ »

Swedish politician mulls Thai bows to counter swine flu

Politics: 8 Sep 09
A Swedish politician is proposing a novel measure to prevent the spread of swine flu - the introduction of traditional Thai greetings in an effort to reduce direct contact. READ »

Fortified wine to prevent spread of swine flu: Church of Sweden

National: 7 Sep 09
A number of Swedish churches have decided to serve fortified wine during communion in hopes of reducing the risk of spreading swine flu. READ »

Swedish aid groups deny anti-Israel bias

National: 27 Aug 09
Development groups have rejected charges laid out by a Jerusalem-based NGO watchdog accusing Sweden's aid community of sponsoring groups that contribute to the "demonization" of Israel. READ »

Pirate Bay cites Churchill in online comeback

Business & Money: 26 Aug 09
The Pirate Bay, one of the world's most popular filesharing websites, was back online on Tuesday hours after being shut down following a Swedish court order. READ »

Summer rail destinations: Halmstad

Travel: 24 Aug 09
Sponsored article: Initially built by the Danes as a defensive fortress, Halmstad is now a popular coastal retreat with a sophisticated cultural scene and thriving nightlife. READ »

Fire photographer admits arson

National: 21 Aug 09
A Swedish news photographer specialized in capturing fires on film has admitted to being behind a slew of arson attacks. READ »

Swedish church launches online prayer service

Society: 18 Aug 09
Say prayers over the internet, and link to your friends on Twitter or Facebook. This is the Swedish Church's plan to raise the historically low turnout for upcoming church elections. READ »

Defrocked pastor sues Christian dating site

Society: 4 Aug 09
A Church of Sweden minister has demanded compensation from a Christian dating site after he was stripped of his clerical collar for insulting a number of the site's female users. READ »

Pride march a 'game changer' for Stockholm football clubs

Analysis & Opinion: 31 Jul 09
As Stockholm gears up for the weekend’s Pride Parade, The Local’s Gabriel Stein takes a look at the difficulties facing two Stockholm-area football clubs as they attempt to show their solidarity with the city’s gay community. READ »

What's on in Sweden: July 31 - August 6

Lifestyle: 29 Jul 09
What's on in Sweden: Stockholm Pride & International rugby in Stockholm; U2 in Gothenburg; African beach party & Lucy Love (DK) music in Malmö. READ »

Kalmar: more than merely a Baltic gateway

Travel: 28 Jul 09
The historic town of Kalmar has plenty to offer travelers who dare to venture off the well-worn road which leads to the more-high profile Baltic island situated nearby, The Local’s Marge Thorell discovers. READ »

Church of Sweden in Brüno advert uproar

Society: 28 Jul 09
The official Church of Sweden newspaper is at the centre of a storm of controversy after advertisers reacted to the depiction of scenes from UK comic Sacha Baron Cohen's new blockbuster movie Brüno. READ »

Scientologists reported for harassing Swedish family

Society: 28 Jul 09
A fortnight of incessant phone calls from the local Church of Scientology has prompted a family from Kävlinge in southern Sweden to file a harassment report with police. READ »

Groaning to the blues at Gamla Stan's Stampen

Lifestyle: 17 Jul 09
For fans of live music, Stockholm’s Stampen jazz and blues club features an unusual history, an eclectic mix of styles, and a crowd which defies simple categorization, as The Local’s Alec Forss recently discovered. READ »

Anglo-Swedish rift over church gay marriage

Society: 16 Jul 09
The Church of England has condemned a proposal by the Church of Sweden to grant same-sex couples the right to religious wedding ceremonies. READ »

Västerås: A walk back in time

Travel: 2 Jul 09
As classic cars assemble for the annual Power Big Meet, Robert La Bua takes in the medieval charm of host town Västerås. READ »

Swedish king feted in Ukraine 300 years after landmark battle

Society: 26 Jun 09
Sweden's King Karl XII and a Cossack commander are emerging as disputed figures in Ukraine-Russia relations some 300 years after Russia's comprehensive defeat of Sweden in the Battle of Poltava. READ »

Sweden braces for 'trying' EU presidency

Politics: 23 Jun 09
Financial crisis, climate change and the possibility of a fast-tracked Icelandic membership are at the top of Sweden's agenda when it takes over the EU Presidency in July. READ »

Oversized coffins complicate cremation

National: 21 Jun 09
Swedes are getting larger and this is starting to cause problems post-mortem as coffins are proving too large to fit into cremation ovens. READ »

Church of Sweden rocked by sex scandals

National: 15 Jun 09
The Church of Sweden has already been shaken by several sex scandals this year. Archbishop Anders Wejryd regrets the incidents, and maintains that transparency is the best policy. READ »

Church nuptials closer for gays in Sweden

National: 13 Jun 09
The board of the Church of Sweden has proposed that same sex-couples be granted the right to religious wedding ceremonies. A final decision is expected in October. READ »

Swedish metal heads get ready to rock for Jesus

Society: 12 Jun 09
God-fearing heavy metal fans in Sweden now have a place to go to bang their heads and worship Jesus at the same time. READ »

Swedish auto town cannot imagine life without Saab

Analysis & Opinion: 8 Jun 09
For the 55,000 residents of Trollhättan in southwestern Sweden, the idea of life without Saab is unthinkable, writes AFP's James Franey. READ »

Liberals launch EU pro-choice abortion initiative

Politics: 2 Jun 09
The Swedish Liberal party has launched a new initiative to give the women of Europe the right to choose to have an abortion and establish abortion as a human right. READ »

'Swedish state should not educate imams': report

Society: 1 Jun 09
The Swedish state should not engage in the training of imams, a commission of inquiry into the issue has concluded in its report submitted to the government on Monday. READ »

Unpaid stonemason reclaims gravestone

Society: 31 May 09
When a stonemason did not receive payment for his work he took the law into his own hands and repossessed the grave stone from a churchyard in Gnosjö in southern Sweden. READ »

Hillevi Larsson: an egalitarian voice from the south

Analysis & Opinion: 28 May 09
It was a high school’s broken ventilation system that started Hillevi Larsson’s career in politics – something she now calls a fortunate series of events, which drastically affected her life. READ »

UN slams Sweden for child rights failure

National: 27 May 09
Sweden continues to shirk its obligations guaranteeing children the right to education, according to a United Nations committee. READ »

Tree rings help date Sweden's oldest wooden home

Society: 26 May 09
New research has revealed a wooden building in Mora in central Sweden to be the country's oldest wooden residential home. READ »

Axe attack feud 'not as simple as it seems'

National: 18 May 09
A neighbourhood feud in northern Sweden has captivated the media for several years - the accepted story being that a Roma family terrorized a whole village. But new details suggest that the truth may be quite different. READ »

Fried potato with 'face of Jesus Christ' for sale on eBay

Society: 14 May 09
A restaurant in southern Sweden has put a potato up for auction after staff discovered what they believed to be the face of Jesus Christ in a spud that "hopped out of the frying pan" earlier this week. READ »

What's on in Sweden: May 15 - 21

Lifestyle: 13 May 09
What's on in Sweden: Canadian improv theatre and Morrissey in Stockholm; Funk veterans and Basketball Festival in Gothenburg; Brandy in Malmö. READ »

Swedish gays made to wait for church wedding

National: 3 May 09
Despite being given the same legal marriage status as heterosexuals in a new law which came into force on May 1st, Swedish same-sex couples will have to wait for a church "I do". READ »

Court climax premature for Madonna of Orgasm Church

Society: 29 Apr 09
The Madonna of Orgasm Church has suffered a disappointing reversal following a Swedish court ruling that the church’s name is unacceptable and offensive. READ »

Västervik: Building boats for half a millennium

Travel: 24 Apr 09
Sponsored article: The beautiful coastal town of Västervik once built warships for King Gustav I. These days luxury yachts are more in evidence, writes Jennifer Heape. READ »

Police step up hunt for missing baby corpse

National: 24 Apr 09
Police confirm that they have received a wealth of tips and information about the dead baby that went missing from a Stockholm church mortuary prior to burial this week. READ »

Intact runestone found in church car park

Society: 24 Apr 09
A rock previously used to demarcate a parking area outside a church north of Stockholm is in fact a 1,000-year-old runestone, it has been discovered. READ »

Pastor to sue dating site over release of rude comments

Society: 22 Apr 09
A Christian dating website which released details about a Swedish pastor’s offensive comments has been accused of violated the country’s data privacy laws. READ »

Swedish pastor accused in sex chat scandal

Society: 21 Apr 09
A Swedish pastor has been reported to church authorities for harassing a young man on a internet chat and dating site. The pastor is alleged to have sent graphic pictures of his sexual organ. READ »

Court backs church bell noise probe

Society: 21 Apr 09
A 65-year-old man living near St. Göran's Church in Stockholm has demanded that the church bells be silenced; he has received backing from the Swedish Environmental Court. READ »

Sweden’s Filip and Fredrik get lost in the Big Apple

Lifestyle: 16 Apr 09
Live television is often full of surprises – even in Sweden. And when comic duo Filip and Fredrik are involved, there’s no way to predict what sort of wackiness may ensue when the cameras start rolling, The Local’s David Landes discovers. READ »

Wild boar attacks woman in Gothenburg cemetery

National: 14 Apr 09
A wild boar attacked a woman out walking her dog in a graveyard in Gothenburg on Tuesday morning. READ »

Swedish church unveils Lego Jesus for Easter

Society: 13 Apr 09
While most Christians mark Easter with prayers and song, one Swedish church opened its mass on Sunday by unveiling a life-size Lego statue of Jesus Christ. READ »

Easter - when Sweden's witches come out to play

Lifestyle: 9 Apr 09
What do you associate with Easter: eggs, lambs and church? Sweden has these too, but it also features bonfires and witches on broomsticks off to dance with the devil at Blåkulla. Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius investigates. READ »

Mystery donor leaves 100,000 kronor church collection gift

Society: 7 Apr 09
An anonymous older woman answered all her local church's prayers on Sunday by handing over an envelope with bills amounting to 100,000 kronor ($12,200). READ »

Drunk Swedish pastor in net dating outrage

Society: 4 Apr 09
A pensioned Church of Sweden pastor has been reported for offensive comments to women while chatting on a Christian online dating website. READ »

Married pastor on probation after sex with grieving mother

Society: 3 Apr 09
A married Church of Sweden pastor in Skurup in southern Sweden has been put on probation after having sex with a woman in his congregation who was grieving her deceased son. READ »

Sweden passes new gay marriage law

Society: 2 Apr 09
Sweden's parliament passed new legislation by a wide majority on Wednesday that will allow homosexuals to marry in church and civil weddings. READ »

Swedish media enjoy April Fool jokes

Society: 1 Apr 09
The royal wedding, doggie doo DNA and a confession from Alfie Atkins' secret friend, as well as The Local's own Japanese girl band, were among the traditional April Fool's hoaxes in the Swedish media on Wednesday. READ »

Church delays decision on pastor's teen love affair

Society: 1 Apr 09
The future of a female Church of Sweden pastor is in the balance following revelations that she had a love affair with a 15-year-old confirmation candidate. READ »

Swedish MP to Pope: Ditch fundamentalism

Politics: 26 Mar 09
Prominent feminist politician Birgitta Ohlsson is demanding that the Swedish government launch a formal protest with the Vatican over the “religious fundamentalism” of Pope Benedict XVI. READ »

Victoria and Daniel name the day

National: 23 Mar 09
Crown Princess Victoria will marry fiancé Daniel Westling in Stockholm on 19th June 2010, the Royal Court has announced. READ »

What's your top Swedish tourist tip?

Travel: 19 Mar 09
Every week we quiz our regular panelists about a particular aspect of life in Sweden. This week: the country's top travel destinations. READ »

How do I write the perfect Swedish CV?

Jobs: 13 Mar 09
How do you write the perfect CV to convince a Swedish employer. We get the answers, in a new series of articles in cooperation with our jobs partner, Stepstone. READ »

Government wants to scrap mandatory student unions

Education: 25 Feb 09
A new government proposal calls for compulsory membership in student unions to be made voluntary for students enrolled in Swedish colleges and universities starting in July 2010. READ »

Masses bid "Ingo" Johansson final farewell

Sport: 14 Feb 09
Swedish boxing legend Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson was buried in Gothenburg on Friday. More than 1,300 people were there to see the former world champ laid to rest. READ »

Ice Church in Swedish Lappland offers white winterland wedding

Dating: 11 Feb 09
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, AFP's Nina Larson witnesses wedding ceremonies performed in a Swedish winter wonderland. READ »

Dogs attack 4-year-old girl

National: 5 Feb 09
A four-year-old girl was taken to hospital in Stockholm after she was attacked on Thursday afternoon by two dogs. READ »

Officials struggle with Swedish mining town's relocation

Lifestyle: 5 Feb 09
As miners continue to chip away at the chunk of iron sitting directly beneath Kiruna in northern Sweden, the AFP’s Nina Larson examines the challenges that come with relocating an entire town. READ »

SVT denies Vatican conspiracy rumours

Society: 4 Feb 09
The journalist for Sveriges Television (SVT) who conducted an interview with conservative Catholic bishop Richard Williamson in which he denied the Holocaust, has denied allegations that SVT was involved in a plot to damage Pope Benedict XVI. READ »

Russians in Sweden: taming a fear of the bear

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Jan 09
In the first of a series highlighting different communities in Sweden, The Local’s David Landes takes a look at how the sprawling and complex history of Swedish-Russian relations affects life for Russians living in Sweden today. READ »

Conservative group apologizes to Pope over Holocaust remarks

Society: 28 Jan 09
Remarks questioning the facts of the Holocaust made by a member of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) and broadcast on Swedish television have prompted the group to apologize to the Pope. READ »

Most Swedish pastors willing to wed gay couples

Society: 23 Jan 09
Nearly seven in ten pastors in the Church of Sweden are open to performing marriage ceremonies for gay couples in churches. READ »

Threesome assault pastor defrocked

Society: 22 Jan 09
A pastor convicted of assaulting his ex-wife following sex games involving another man has been relieved of his duties by his employer, the Church of Sweden. READ »

Church furor over 'racist' religious group

Society: 22 Jan 09
The Church of Sweden on Thursday cited lax oversight as the reason why a conservative religious group aiming to convert Sweden to Catholicism and with leaders who deny the Holocaust was given permission to hold meetings in Swedish churches. READ »