Jurisdiction: | Diocese |
Copenhagen | |
Local: | Københavns Stift |
Population: | 805,589 |
Members: | 467,632 (58.1%) |
Denomination: | Church of Denmark |
Cathedral: | Cathedral of Our Lady |
Established: | 1 December 1922 |
Bishop: | Peter Skov-Jakobsen |
Emeritus Bishops: | Erik Norman Svendsen (1992-2009) |
Website: | Website of the Diocese |
The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: Københavns Stift) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009.[1] The main cathedral of the diocese is the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen.[2]
The Bishop of Copenhagen has a special status as primus inter pares among the Danish bishops, but does not bear the title "archbishop" because he does not hold Metropolitan status. The Bishop of Zealand formerly held this title, until the Diocese of Copenhagen was created in 1922.[3] Though the bishop acts as the main authority among other bishops, the supreme authority of the church rests with The King of Denmark, while the administrative head is the Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs.
The Diocese of Copenhagen was formed in 1922 when the Diocese of Zealand was divided in two, the other portion forming the Diocese of Roskilde. The diocese was further split in 1961, when the Diocese of Helsingør disjoined.[4]