The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-07-22
Church Universal

~ elIini ace Christianity. The king at
once dispatched two monks, but on
their way they were attacked by Vik-
lngs, and all their furniture, books, etc,
destined for the mission, were taken
from them. One of the monks returned
! nome, but the other, Ansgar, continued
the Journey, and arrived at Birka, or
| BJorko, where he was heartily received
j py King. Biorn, co-regent. of King Ed
! nlund, who granted perfect freedom of
preaching the word of God. Ansgar re-
manned only a year and a half, and
baptized many, and among them Herr
gar, president Of Birka, who built the
urst Christian church in Sweden. In
the meantime, however King Louis
had founded the archbishopric of Ham
purg, Bremen, in order TO facilitate the
conversion of the Scandinavian PENN
sula, and Ansgar was appointed it's
Lirst archbishop in S31. Under the diff
Ierent kings, the church made wonder
Luz progress, and under King Inge the
eloer, who reigned from 1880 to 1112. the
ldsl remains of paganism disappeared
"hen the pagan temple of the national
sou Ooln at UpSala was burned, and
the Catholic church celebrated once
more Its usual triumphs over all HUI
man man obstacles and pagan prejudices
Inc King proclaimed the Christian re-
ASlon to be publicly preached in his
established King Swerker Karlson ap-
pIleu TO the holy see for the canonical
organization of the hierarchy Mich
oLas Breakspear, the English cardinal,
dIterWard known as Pope Adrian ",
was sent to make the necessary ar
engagements. That the Swedish church
was strongly attached to the Catholic
church may be concluded from the fact
mat the early Swedish church numbers
not less than twenty-three canonized
SAINTS, one of whom was a king, and
ten bishops. The three kingdoms of
Denmark, Sweden and Norway were
united under one crown in 1897 by the
Danish Queen Margaret Her sue
cessors, however. had neither the tall
ent skill nor energy to keep up such an
amalgamation, and the triple sceptre
Tell from their pewerless hands.
Religious Persecution.
Then came the so-called Reformation,
which rent Sweden from one to the
other. The clergy were prosecuted, the
estates of the Church were confiscated
and Lutheranism was proclaimed the
national religion. Treacherous promises
and open violence, sacrilegious spoil
alton, and popular oppression, earth
ly policy and human ambition, the
thirst of self-agg and the
coVeting of others goods, the combina
tlon OF sensuality, ambition, and avar-
Ice, were the leading motives of the re-
formers in Sweden. Several attempts
We're made by Eric to unite again Swe-
den with Rome, and King John III,
who reigned from 1868 to 1892, was re-
ceived into the Church by the Papal
Legate in May. 1878, and tried as far as
possible to restore the Catholic religion,
although with some alterations, which
were, however, condemned at Rome.
King John relapsed and his son and
successor, Sigismund, who remained a
Catholic. was expelled from the king
dom, his followers were put to death,
and every trace of the Catholic Church
blotted out. King Gustaf III, Q771-92),
removed some of the penal laws and
allowed foreign Catholics to come into
the country. but every Swedish subject
was strictly forbidden to embrace "Ro-
manism." It was only in 1860 that the
laws against "dissenters" We're abol-
ished, who now obtained full right to
form themselves into congregations
with their own churches, schools, and
cemeteries
The Catholic Outlook.
The progress of the Catholic church
in Sweden during the last century has
been slow, but yet, in spite of all the
legislation. education,
prejudices, and especially the low
standard of morality Gin moral point
of view, Sweden is the most thorough
ly degraded and debased Christian
of Europe'') some progress has
been made. In 1900 there were about 100
Catholics in Sweden and Norway to-
gether, under the jurisdiction first of
the vicar apostolic of Sweden, then I'M
der one of the bishops of northern Ger
many, later on again under the bishop
of Osnabruch.
In 1885, Piux TX erected the Project
ure Apostolic of the North Pole with |
Mgr. Bernard qS5569) as Vicar apos- |
tolic; and, in 1869 separated from it the |
Vicariate Apostolic of Sweden with |
Mgr. Studach at the head. In 1880, the |
number of the ''dissenters" in Sweden |
to 21,234, i. E.. 1882 Baptists, |
7. 993 Jews, 1881 Methodists, $40 Roman |
Catholics: in 1890 there were 40 763 adj |
herents of creeds other than the Luth
aran, among them 1890 Roman Cath |
olics."
According to the census taken in 1901, |
the population of Sweden amounts to |
5,175,22S inha bitants. The number of |
200 Catholics is significant, but al
ways in progress. The little flock is |
governed by Mgr. Albert Bitter, vicar
postolic, since 1895, by sixteen priests
-four of Swedish origin, with six sta
tons at Stockholm. Gothenburg. NAL |
no. Gefte, Novokping. and Oscarstrom, !
and three out-stations (Vadstena, |
Soilertelge), with four |
churches, five chapels and nine schools, |
attended by Us children. The two sis |
Ter congregations of st. Joseph's of |
yhambery and St. Elizabeth's. number
hirty-three and sixty-two members re-
spectively, and take care of the girls
schools in three hospitals.