Nordic Bishops' Conference
The Nordic Bishops' Conference (Latin: Conferentia Episcopals Scandiæ) is an episcopal conference of Roman Catholic bishops covering the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.
| Nordiska biskopskonferensen (in Swedish) Nordisk bispekonference (in Danish) Den nordiske bispekonferanse (in Norwegian) Skandinavian piispakonferenssi (in Finnish) Norræna biskuparáðstefnan (in Icelandic) | |
| Abbreviation | CES |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1923 |
| Type | Episcopal conference |
| Legal status | Civil nonprofit |
Region served | Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland |
Membership | Active and retired Catholic bishops of the Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland |
Main organ | Conference |
In 2023, it has 8 members who represent all five Catholic dioceses and all two territorial prelatures in the Nordic countries. It is unusual for bishops' conferences to be organised across several countries, but this reflects the fact that there are fewer than half a million Catholics in these countries. The Conference states as its tasks:
- to further the common pastoral work in the region
- to enable the bishops to consult with one another
- to coordinate the work of the Church in the dioceses
- to make possible common decisions on the regional level
- to facilitate contacts with the Catholic Church in Europe and in the whole world
The most important decision-making organ is the plenary session. This meets twice a year at different places in the Nordic dioceses and sometimes outside of Northern Europe. Besides that there is the Permanent Council which also meets twice a year to plan the plenary sessions and to decide on urgent matters. Between meetings it is the secretary general, currently Sister Anna Mirijam Kaschner, CPS, who coordinates the work and the contacts between the bishops.