Lesbian Bishop Using Her "Power" for the "Powerless"?
UPPSALA, Sweden (RNS/ENI)
The newly-elected Lutheran bishop of Stockholm says that being a lesbian means she wants to stand alongside people who feel powerless.
Bishop Eva Brunne said it clear on the website of the Church of Sweden immediately after being elected, "I'm in the lucky position of power, and I can help those who have no power."
As the first Bishop of the Church of Sweden to be in a registered homosexual partnership, Brunne is currently the dean of the Stockholm diocese.
Some believe she is the first openly lesbian bishop in the world.
"I know what it is to be called into question," the Rev. Eva Brunne said in an article on the Web site of the Church of Sweden after her Tuesday (May 26) election. "I am in the lucky situation that I have power and I can use it for the benefit of those who have no power."
Brunne, 55, lives with priest Gunilla Linden in a partnership that has received a church blessing. Although they are both lesbians, it has not stopped them from having a three-year-old son.
"Once you have been baptized, no one can say you cannot be part of the Church because you are homosexual, bisexual or transsexual," the Web site of the French periodical Ttu quoted Brunne as saying.
She was elexted over Hans Ulfvebrand by 413 votes to his 365 votes. She replaces Bishop Caroline Krook, who is to retire in November.
In 2003, the consecration of a V. Eugene Robinson, an openly gay man who lives with a male partner, as the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire triggered a deep division and threatened a schism in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Lutheran churches throughout the world hold different views about matters of human sexuality, including the acceptance of homosexuals in church life and blessings for same-sex relationships.
NOTE: The Church of Sweden, which offers a special blessing for same-sex couples, faces criticism from some other Lutheran churches, particularly those in African countries.
