Church of Norway asks government to stop oil exploration

Church Nidaros chatedralPhoto: Gorm Kallestad / NTB

The Church of Norway is asking the Norwegian government to stop oil exploration. Progress Party (FRP) leader Sylvi Listhaug asks the Church to stop behaving like a political party. The Conservatives (H) are also critical.

On a Tuesday meeting, the Church of Norway voted in favor of supporting a call to stop further oil and gas exploration activity on the Norwegian shelf, the newspaper Klassekampen and Vårt Land write.

FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug believes the offensive against the oil industry has failed and says the Church is behaving like a political party.

“As we know, closing down the Norwegian oil industry could lead to increased emissions globally, take away jobs, and make Norway a poorer country. There will not be much left for grants to the Church or aid if we remove the oil revenues. They are cutting off the branch they are sitting on,” she wrote in a message to Klassekampen.

Meeting in Trondheim

A total of 116 representatives from eleven dioceses participated at the Church’s meeting in Trondheim. The meeting started on November 11 and ended on November 16.

Parliamentary representative Sveinung Stensland for the Conservative Party (H) believes that there are no grounds in the Bible for the decision. 

“When it wants to be a political workshop, to be a political party, the Church of Norway makes itself less interesting for us who are politically engaged. You do not feel at home then,” Stensland told Vårt Land.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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