Eight commitments in the work on reconciliation with the Sámi people

At the beginning of June, the Central Board decided that, during the General Synod in the autumn, an official apology should be made to the Sámi people for how the Church of Sweden has wronged them historically. The general subcommittee has now decided that the following eight commitments will serve as a starting point and an overall goal for how work on Sámi issues will proceed over the next ten years:

• Preach the gospel in the Sámi languages and in a manner that is culturally relevant for the Sámi people, while respecting the Sámi spiritual and ecclesiastical tradition.
• Make Sámi spirituality, theology and ecclesiastical tradition visible within the Church of Sweden.
• Help strengthen and revitalise the Sámi languages in the activities of the Church of Sweden.
• Increase knowledge and awareness of the Church’s historical relations with and abuses against the Sámi people and the consequences of these.
• Expand knowledge of and respect for the principles of indigenous peoples’ rights within the Church of Sweden and in society.
• Increase the influence and participation of the Sámi people in the Church of Sweden.
• Strengthen the identity and spiritual development of Sámi children and young people.
• Promote cross-border Sámi ecclesiastical life.

“Of course, an apology needs to be followed by action. These commitments are now well established and can make a new common future possible. The fact that the Church of Sweden is also Sámi needs to be made clearer as Sámi ecclesiastical life evolves,” says Archbishop Antje Jackelén.

The overall commitments provide a clear direction for the Church of Sweden’s continued work on reconciliation with the Sámi people. On this basis, the dialogue with Sámi representatives and dioceses on an action plan will continue, including measures to implement the respective commitments and give substance to the apology. The measures will be specified in an action plan to be drafted in the autumn of 2021, on behalf of the Central Board.

Examples of what an action plan may contain include raising awareness among parishes on issues relating to Sámi rights, promoting worship in Sámi, developing forms of dialogue and cooperation on land issues, reviewing how the Church has historically acted on land issues, increasing the availability of children’s activities in the Sámi languages and recruiting more people with Sámi cultural skills to serve in the Church of Sweden. This work needs to be done in close dialogue with Sámi representatives and dioceses. The ambition is to initiate long-term processes to reinforce structures that can support the continued work on Sámi issues in the Church of Sweden.

The Central Board has decided to allocate SEK 40 million in strategic development funds for this work during the period 2022–2031.

The official apology will be made on two occasions: firstly at the General Synod’s special service of worship on 24 November in Uppsala Cathedral, and secondly at the planned Ságastallamat 2 conference in Luleå on 21–23 October 2022.