Church of Sweden opens first funeral parlour

It does so after the Synod ruled in the fall that the church should have its own funeral parlours, Dagen writes. The decision led to heated debates. Critics feared that church-run funeral parlours have a competitive advantage over private funeral parlours, as the Church of Sweden is in charge of the funeral business in the country. In the end, the proposal was passed with 152 votes in favour and 82 votes against.

Pastor David Fredin Silverkors from the Håbo pastorate in Bålsta thinks it is natural that the church, which is part of people's life from birth to death, should have its own funeral home. "It is a way to expand our business and get more external contacts. It will also broaden our income, so it is close at hand as we take care of a lot of other things when someone passes away", he says to Kyrkans Tidning.

Church of Sweden wants to open their own funeral parlours

18-11-2022

The pastor acknowledges that the issue is sensitive. "When you try something new, there are always people who are against it. But some are positive. We notice a great commitment among our employees who find it nice to take new steps", he says.

The Håbo pastorate is not the only congregation that started the process of opening a parlour. Another pastorate that is actively working on a plan is the Knivsta pastorate.

Before the Synod decided in favour of church parlours, there had already been a small number of church funeral parlours. Still, the Synod agreed several times against proposals on the issue before last autumn.