Pope met leading investor in the arms trade!


As the Head of the Church of Sweden can now be known.

Cathcon translation of
Church of Sweden invests in weapons
Schwedens Kirche investiert in Waffen

The Protestant Church of Sweden has extensive holdings in companies associated with business in weapons and alcohol.

It was their own church newspaper in Sweden which triggered a scandal within the Protestant Church. The largest Church of the Scandanavian Kingdom invests a considerable portion of their assets in weapons and alcohol companies. Only business involving tobacco and pornography are still taboo.

According to the internal report, the Church, has invested in, among other companies, General Electric which produces the engines for the nuclear armed B-1B bomber. In addition, other companies involved in the alcohol, uranium and weapons sectors are implicated as are joint ventures with dictatorships, whose human rights record is questionable.

Criticism of investment policy
The church leadership sees no wrongdoing. "The Swedish church recognizes the right of states to defend themselves," said Helen Ottosson Loven, the financial director of the church, to the private TV station, TV4. Many pastors, however, criticize the investment policies of their church. Many believers already wondered whether their money is properly handled. "Our church should not have shares of companies involved in the business of death," says Helle Klein, Pastor in the Stockholm suburb of Nacka.

Also Susanna Dahl, pastor in northern Umeaa, is appalled: "If imagine that our church is a company with particular ideas and values, and then we do business, to which these ideas and values are contrary, then we have a problem, "she says. Her colleague Yvonne Eriksson from the small town of Hörnefors agrees: "The church must have different guidelines for shareholding from a private company. How should we as a church fight for peace, if we simultaneously invest in the weapons industry?"

Archbishop defends investments
Many pastors are now calling for a review of the regulatory framework for the placement of church funds. Above all, weapons manufacturers should no longer be represented in the church portfolio. Anders Wejryd as Archbishop of Uppsala supreme ecclesiastical head of the "Svenska Kyrkan", will not be so strict. The church could just as shareholders of a controversial company influence them in a positive direction.

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church is a major pillar of the Swedish society. She has more than seven million members, nearly 80 percent of the inhabitants of the country. In 2006, her income was some 32 billion crowns (3.4 billion euros). A large part of it came from members donations. The separation of church and state came into force on 1 January 2000, since the Swedish Church is no longer a state church.

Comments

Unknown said…
Personally I would opt to caption the photo "the head of The Church IN Sweden meets the head of the Church OF Sweden"

Blessed Mary Elisabeth Hesselblad, pray to bring your contrymen Home!