Bishop Erik Varden. / Credit: Pål Johannes Nes

CNA Newsroom, Aug 30, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic bishops of Norway have issued a pastoral letter calling on the faithful to be guided by Church teaching on human life and dignity in the country’s parliamentary election scheduled for Sept. 8. 

The bishops also voiced concern about growing political support for euthanasia.

In the letter dated for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and released this weekend, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim and Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo emphasized that voting is “not only a right; it is a demanding and weighty duty” for Norway’s approximately 160,000 Catholics.

“We are troubled by the apparent growth of support for euthanasia in our country and among our politicians,” they wrote.

“All who suffer from pain or illness should receive every form of care we can offer, as should their families and those who look after them. To ‘help’ someone die helps no one.”

The bishops stressed the inviolability of human life and dignity, declaring that “no person — whether an unborn child, the incurably ill, a newly arrived refugee, or a victim of violence or human trafficking — may be set aside or counted of lesser worth than the rich, the powerful, or the famous.”

“As your bishops, we wish to share a few thoughts with you before the election,” they continued. “It is not our role as bishops to tell you for whom to vote. Our hope is rather that the basic principles we outline here will aid your own discernment about which party to support.”

The pastoral letter comes as approximately 3.9 million eligible Norwegian voters prepare to choose representatives who will govern the country for the next four years.

Despite Catholics representing only about 3.5% of Norway’s population, the bishops emphasized their community’s responsibility to participate actively in civic life.

“Though Catholics are few in Norway, we may not disclaim our shared responsibility, either for society or for the well-being of our neighbor,” the bishops declared. “We therefore consider it especially important that all eligible Catholic voters make use of their vote and weigh their choices carefully before Election Day.”

The letter outlined several key areas where Catholic social teaching should inform voters’ decisions, including protection of human life “from conception to natural death,” religious freedom, strengthening families, caring for the poor, and Norway’s international responsibilities.

Beyond life issues, the prelates called attention to persistent poverty despite Norway’s reputation as a wealthy welfare state, noting that “each year we hear of people who cannot afford heat in winter or food at Christmas, and of children left out because family means are insufficient for school or leisure activities.”

The bishops also emphasized religious freedom as “rooted in human dignity,” declaring it “essential to ensure that everyone — individually and together with others — can seek faith and live responsibly in accordance with that faith.”

Varden, a Cistercian monk who heads the Territorial Prelature of Trondheim, and Hansen, who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø, concluded their message by invoking Norway’s patron saint.

“St. Olav, Norway’s eternal king, helped found our country upon the values of the Gospel, upon the message and example of Jesus Christ,” they wrote. “At this election, let each of us recognize our responsibility to build upon the saint-king’s work.”

The Catholic Church in Norway has experienced significant growth in recent decades, with registered membership increasing from approximately 95,000 in 2015 to around 160,000 today, largely due to immigration from Catholic countries.

While advance voting began in July, Election Day has been set for Monday, Sept. 8.

The current government is led by the Labour Party under Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, with approximately 20 parties competing in the upcoming parliamentary election.