A Commission was established by the Norwegian government in 2003 with the task of examining and updating the system of relations between the Lutheran Church of Norway and the State. Its conclusions are awaited at the end of January but, although the members of the Commission have so far given no indication of their findings, it is known through a leak in the daily “Vart Land” – that a clear majority of the members of the Commission (14 out of 20) are favourable to a “deceleration” of relations between Church and State, though without going so far as a total separation. Since 1537, with the introduction of the Lutheran Reformation in Norway, it is the King who has headed the Church of Norway, with the “Storting” (the Norwegian Parliament) as upper legislative organ. From the practical point of view, it is the King, acting within a ruling Council, who has ultimate responsibility for the general government of the Church. The Minister of Culture and Ecclesiastical Affairs has administrative responsibility, while the Storting has the job of adopting laws and approving budgets regarding the Church. The Government appoints all the bishops and deans of the Church. The General Council is the supreme ecclesiastical organ. The Lutheran Church of Norway represents roughly 88% of the 4.5 million inhabitants of the country, but society especially in urban areas is progressively being globalized.
