K. G. Hammar

The Most Reverend
Karl Gustav Hilding Hammar
Archbishop Emeritus of Uppsala
Primate Emeritus of Sweden
Church Church of Sweden
Archdiocese Uppsala
Appointed 1997
In office 1997-2006
Predecessor Gunnar Weman
Successor Anders Wejryd
Orders
Ordination 1965
Consecration 1992
Personal details
Born (1943-02-18) February 18, 1943
Hässleholm, Sweden
Nationality Swede
Previous post Bishop of Lund (1992-1997)

Karl Gustav Hilding Hammar (born February 18, 1943 in Hässleholm), commonly referred to as K. G. Hammar, is a Swedish clergyman. He was Archbishop of Uppsala, head of the Church of Sweden, from 1997 to 2006.[1] During his tenure as archbishop he was a highly divisive figure, who gained strong support from some and drew heavy criticism from others, and he oversaw the separation of church and state in Sweden on January 1, 2000. He holds a PhD and is the author of several books on theology.

Career

His father a priest, he was ordained priest in the Diocese of Lund in 1965, at the age of 22. From 1972 to 1975 he worked as a teacher at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. He returned home to work as a priest in the Church of Sweden in Lund. In 1992, he became bishop and head of the diocese, and in 1997 he was appointed Archbishop by the Social Democrat-controlled Government of Sweden under the state church which was then still formally in place but lost its true standing already in 1958 and was on its way to be officially abolished. Soon after his appointment, he ordained Christina Odenberg, the first Swedish woman to become a bishop.

Theological and political positions

"I don´t know the truth - I am just seeking it" - K.G. Hammar

As the head of the church, he gained much popularity as well as criticism for his strong opinions, which emphasized humanism and tolerance according to his supporters, and was highly politically partisan and inappropriate for his position according to his critics, who saw him more as a left wing politician than a clergyman. He fought for extended amnesty for refugees and illegal immigrants in Sweden, debt relief for poor countries, more humane treatment of prisoners and tolerance towards followers of other religions than Christianity. He also criticised the invasion of Iraq[2] and global capitalism,[2] and urged for a boycott against goods from Israeli settlements.[3] The former leader of the Swedish Christian Democrat party Alf Svensson has called Hammar a "leftist populist"[2] and the then-party leader of the Moderate Party Bo Lundgren called on Hammar to either stop using his post as a political platform or to resign and stand for election as a leftist politician instead.

Hammar also expressed liberal theological views and spoke out frequently for the rights of homosexuals to adopt children. He drew much fire for sanctioning the showing of the controversial photo exhibition Ecce Homo inside Uppsala Cathedral, where photos recreated classical Christian motifs but in contexts relating to homosexuality.

Hammar's liberal positions on several theological issues made him controversial among more conservative Christians. In an interview with Kyrkans Tidning, the Church of Sweden national magazine, he was quoted as saying: "You do not have to believe in anything particular to be a Christian. To say that you want to be part of it is enough. What kind of right do I have to question that? The definition frenzy only leads to exclusion", the context of the statement being how the church could open its door and welcome religious seekers and people who do not feel welcome in the church. He has also on other occasions stated that he thinks that the Virgin Birth should be interpreted as a ”poetic statement” rather than a literal fact.

His views on homosexuality and controversial theological issues sometimes stirred emotions among other Christian denominations. For example, the Church of Sweden's rather new-founded ecumenical contacts with the Roman-Catholic Church and its old contacts with the Anglican Communion were strained for a while, but have since gone back to normal.

Hammar's theological position lies within a tradition of Christian mysticism and he has on several occasions expressed his gratitude to the writings of former U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and his book Markings, and also to the Swedish poet laureate Tomas Tranströmer.

Stepping down

On August 25, 2005, Hammar announced that he intended to step down from his post in the summer of 2006. He cited personal reasons, but declined to comment further.

K. G. Hammar became a widower in 2007. He remarried in 2014, and has five adult children.

Bibliography

After the title follows an unofficial translation into English.

References

  1. ↑ "Religious Organizations" (in Swedish). World Statesmen. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Omstridd och omtyckt ärkebiskop avgår (Svt.se)
  3. ↑ "Sluta att köpa israeliska varor (DN.se)

External links

Titles in Lutheranism
Preceded by
Per-Olov Ahrén		 Bishop of Lund
1992–1997 		Succeeded by
Christina Odenberg
Preceded by
Gunnar Weman		 Archbishop of Uppsala
Lutheran Primate of Sweden
1997–2006 		Succeeded by
Anders Wejryd
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