Church of Sweden makes official apology to Sami

According to Archbishop Antje Jackelén, the Church must acknowledge the dark history, even when it is painful to do so. “When we have failed the Sami, we have also failed ourselves and God.”

In June, the Central Board of the Church of Sweden decided to an official apology. The Church of Sweden also set up eight commitments for the next ten years as part of the reconciliation process.

The commitments include promises to preach the Gospel in Sami languages in a way that connects to the Sami culture. In addition, the Church also wants to make the Sami more visible within the Church of Sweden and promote the knowledge about the historical relations between the Church and the indigenous people. The last promise includes education about the abuse the Sami suffered.

The Church will strive after these commitments in cooperation with the Sami Council. A second occasion of apology is scheduled at the Ságastallamat conference in October next year.

In the past, the Swedish government and the Church of Sweden attempted to assimilate the Sami into the Swedish culture. The Church, for example, ran nomadic schools for Sami children. Nowadays, such educational institutions are seen as “colonization, assimilation and racist.” In addition, Church leaders defended racial biological arguments that the Sami belonged to inferior races.

In 1997, the Church Council adopted a statement stating that Church discriminated against the Sami: “The church council acknowledges that this has created wounds and that the Sami have often been alienated from the church.”

The Swedish government has recently set up a truth commission, Vartland reports. The commission “will map and examine the policy pursued against the Sami and what consequences it had for the Sami people.” The results of the report are expected in 2025.