Martin Modéus elected new Archbishop of the Church of Sweden

8 June 2022 14:00:06 | The Church of Sweden

Martin Modéus becomes the 71st Archbishop of the Church of Sweden in an unbroken chain since the first Archbishop, Stephanus, in 1164. Martin Modéus is currently Bishop of Linköping Diocese.

“I am grateful and happy for the support and look forward to undertaking my duties, with God’s help and with the help of good colleagues and employees. It is now time for preparation, reflection and prayer before the inauguration,” says Martin Modéus.

A CV for Martin Modéus is attached to this press release.

Read more about Martin Modéus on the website of Linköping Diocese.

Result of the Archbishop election
Bishop Martin Modéus, Linköping Diocese, 59 percent
Bishop Johan Dalman, Strängnäs Diocese, 41 percent

The result is preliminary. The final result will be presented on the Church of Sweden’s website on 15 June, after which it can be appealed against for a period of one week.

Press contact
To get in touch with Bishop Martin Modéus, please contact press officer Katarina Sandström Blyme, tel.: +46 (0)705 18 21 29. 

The change of Archbishop takes place as follows
Archbishop Antje Jackelén will lay down her staff during a televised service at Uppsala Cathedral on 30 October. She will remain in the post up until that date.

Martin Modéus will be received at a televised service at Uppsala Cathedral on 4 December.

During the period between the laying down of the staff and the receiving of the new Archbishop, other bishops will manage the majority of the Archbishop’s duties. This is regulated by the Church of Sweden’s rules, the Church Ordinance, and concerns, among other things, the roles of Chair of the Central Board of the Church of Sweden and the Doctrinal Commission of the General Synod, and the fulfilment of the Archbishop’s role at the Bishops’ Conference.

The duties of the Archbishop in Uppsala Diocese are managed by the Bishop of Uppsala Diocese, apart from in the Chapter, where there is a designated deputy.

The Archbishop’s assignment
The Archbishop is the Church of Sweden’s main representative in Sweden and internationally. The Archbishop is not superior to the other bishops, but duties include convening and presiding over the Bishops’ Conference, which is the joint consultation body of the bishops.

Read more about the Archbishop’s duties.

The following people can vote in the Archbishop election
The Archbishop is elected by members of the Central Board of the Church of Sweden and the members of the Diocesan Boards and the Chapters of the Church of Sweden’s 13 dioceses.

Since the Archbishop will also be the Bishop of Uppsala Diocese, the deacons and priests who hold a position in Uppsala Diocese are also eligible to vote, as are an equal number of electors who have been appointed by the parishes of the diocese. In order to ensure that Uppsala Diocese does not decide the election alone, these votes are divided by ten. A total of 876 people are eligible to vote in the 2022 Archbishop election.

More information is available at www.svenskakyrkan.se/arkebiskopsval-2022