Norway’s newest Catholic bishop is Cistercian monk Erik Varden

[Michie]

Rome Newsroom, Sep 30, 2020 / 04:00 am MT (CNA).- After 11 years, the Catholic Church in central Norway will have a bishop again.

Fr. Erik Varden, a Cistercian monk and spiritual writer, will be consecrated a bishop at the Cathedral of St. Olav in Trondheim on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Varden, 46, is also the first Norwegian-born bishop of Trondheim in modern times. His five predecessors were German.

The bishop-elect told CNA by email that he had “been warmly and kindly received. I now look forward to getting to know the faithful of the prelature in its length and breadth, for it covers a large area.”

The Territorial Prelature of Trondheim spans 21,806 miles and serves an estimated 15,000 Catholics. The explosive growth of the Church in Norway has been documented by local media.

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Norway’s newest Catholic bishop is Cistercian monk Erik Varden

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

Many years and a blessed episcopate to our bishopelect! This ordination is extremely important for us. It means that the hegemony of Oslo will be reduced which is good in many ways. Unipolarity has been harmful in a minority church like ours. Again, many years! God bless your servant bishop Varden