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76-446: The city hall and the seat of the mayor of Lolland municipality is in Maribo while the largest town is Nakskov . There are 25 members from 1. January 2018 - a reduction from 31 members - of the municipal council. The current mayor is a Social Democrat . On Monday 1 January 2007 Lolland municipality was created as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007) , covering

152-399: A gymnasium ( Secondary school ), a public international school, an open-air museum and a cultural heritage museum . A brewery, " Maribo Bryghus " used to be located in the town, but it was closed down in 2008 by its owner, Unibrew. Beer labeled "Maribo Øl" is still available, but it is brewed elsewhere. Maribo is surrounded by Nørresø ("The Northern Lake" or "Northern Maribo Lake") to

228-610: A 2011 survey of 1137 priests, 62% of them supported same-sex marriage in the Church on the same basis as for heterosexuals, while 28% were against. A map of the results hints at the traditional west–east division, with a conservative wing being dominant in central West Jutland (the former Ringkjøbing Amt ) and on Bornholm , but liberal priests dominating in most other cities. In 2004, a poll among pastors said 60% were against church marriage of same-sex couples. Since Denmark approved same-sex civil unions ( registered partnership ) in 1989,

304-525: A female priest. He decided there was no legal obstacle to that. The first woman to become a bishop was instituted in 1995. As of 2021, a majority of priests are women. Among a small conservative minority, resistance to women ordained as clergy remains. In 2007 the Bishop of Viborg , known as a moderate conservative, revealed that he had given special consideration to priests who were known to be against ordained women. He had organised ordination ceremonies in such

380-412: A location (exits and entrances) east of the port of Puttgarden . When the tunnel is finished, Rødbyhavn will not have a train station. It will be located near Holeby instead, which is 10 kilometers inland. This is because the location of the tunnel changes the route of the railway and road in such a way that it will be impossible to relocate the train station from its present place to another place inside

456-642: A municipality with an area of 892 km and a total population of 49,469 (2005). Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( Danish : Folkekirken , lit.   'the People's Church', or unofficially den danske folkekirke , 'the Danish People's Church'; Greenlandic : Ilagiit , lit.   'the Congregation';), sometimes called

532-431: A non-member, contributes with an average of 130 kroner annually (US$ 23). In addition, the bishops are high-ranking officials whose salary is fully paid by the state. In return, certain public tasks are carried out by the Church, such as conducting vital records registries and managing graveyards which are open to all denominations. While the debate about separation of church and state emerges occasionally in Denmark,

608-446: A non-sectarian, tolerant church where parishioners and priests enjoy a high degree of freedom to practise their own interpretation of Lutheran Christianity. Secondly, many Danish politicians and theologians claim that only this church-state-model will ensure the division of politics and religion, since the Church cannot interfere with political matters or even claim to speak with one voice on behalf of its members. They frequently discourage

684-659: A period in the 16th century, small circles of clandestine Catholicism prevailed. From 1683, Roman Catholic, Reformed and Jewish congregations were allowed in the new town of Fredericia, the latter two also in Copenhagen. Non-Lutherans were also allowed in Friedrichstadt and on Nordstrand in Slesvig and in Glückstadt in Holstein . With the constitution of 1849, freedom of religion

760-419: A somewhat lower rate (56.2%) of Danish infants being christened. Any person who is baptised (usually infant baptism ) into the Church of Denmark automatically becomes a member. Members may renounce their membership and later return if they wish. Excommunication is legally possible but a rare occurrence. Examples include declared Satanists . A church member supporting reincarnation was excommunicated, but

836-577: A spiritual leader (such as an archbishop ), nor a central assembly or synod . Bishops have the last say on doctrinal questions within their respective dioceses. The King (in practice the Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs) and Parliament are the central bodies, but they usually keep to administrative matters and abstain from interfering with spiritual questions. Church laws are rarely changed, and, when it happens, only administrative matters are affected. Firstly, these principles are generally believed to ensure

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912-459: A split, but said there should be more equality between denominations, possibly by a state subsidiary paid to other approved religious communities as well. Immigrant groups and the Muslim society are divided on the issue, as some think official Christianity is preferable to a purely secular state. Pure equality of religions exists only in a minority of Western European countries. Besides Denmark, only

988-488: A total population of 11,098 (2005). Its last mayor was Liljan Køcks, a member of the Socialist People's Party ( Socialistisk Folkeparti ) political party . Maribo Municipality ceased to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007) . It was merged with Holeby , Højreby , Nakskov , Ravnsborg , Rudbjerg and Rødby municipalities to form the new Lolland Municipality . This created

1064-461: A way that new priests who so wished could avoid shaking hands with, or receiving the laying on of hands from, women ordained as priests. According to the bishop, this had happened twice in the 100 ordinations he had performed. The matter became headline news amidst a debate about Muslim fundamentalists who refuse to shake hands with members of the opposite sex. The Minister for Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Bertel Haarder , said he would discuss

1140-509: A wedding of a male couple, although not legally recognised, on a suggestion from a journalist at the newspaper Ekstra Bladet , which announced it as 'The World's First Gay Wedding'. On 25 February 1973, Harald Søbye performed another wedding, this time of a female couple, in a television programme. The state prosecutor investigated the cases, but concluded that the priest's use of his vestment was not illegal. Søbye had been retired in 1964 for political activism, but remained an ordained priest within

1216-481: Is linked via car and train ferries sailing between Rødby and Puttgarden two times an hour. This ferry route will have competition from the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link road and railway tunnel which is scheduled to be finished in 2026 and to open in 2029. The tunnel will be located in a corridor traversing Fehmarn Belt between a location (exits and entrances of the tunnel) east of the port of Rødbyhavn and

1292-551: Is a countryside municipality largely dependent on its agricultural industry featuring an open and intensively farmed landscape. The island has been renowned for its large sugar beet production. Despite the official vision of creating an ecologically sustainable economy agriculture is mainly conventional and focusing on cash crops like wheat , sugar beets , rapeseed and an intensive production. The sugar beets are refined in up to date processing facilities owned by Nordzucker in Nakskov,

1368-525: Is light industry. Among the manufactured products are: medical devices made of plastic, breakfast cereals for private label companies. Major companies having production facilities in Lolland Municipality include Codan Medical in Rødby. It is headquartered in neighboring Guldborgsund Municipality . In the census taken (date?) 1965 (not based on a computerised digital register) the municipalities within

1444-472: Is mainly a historical one. Communities recognised before 1970 includes only eight well-established Christian communities as well as one Jewish community. From 1970 until the 1990s only a few more Christian congregations were approved, but since 1998, a much more liberal practice has ensued. Since then, a board of independent experts decide about approval of new religious communities. The board includes professors of law, religious studies and theology and works under

1520-485: Is operated by the railway company Lokaltog A/S since 2015. Lolland Falster Airport is located south of Maribo between the towns of Holeby and Rødby. Until 1 January 2007, Maribo was also a municipality ( Danish , kommune ) in the former Storstrøm County . The municipality, which included the islands of Askø ("Ash Island") and Lilleø ("little Island") in the Rågø Sound, covered an area of 154 km , and had

1596-608: Is shown on the municipality's coat-of-arms. Her order established the Bridgettine Order 's Abbey in Maribo, when 1416 monks from Vadstena Abbey were sent to Maribo, then called Skimminge, to help establish a monastery. In 1536, however, the abbey was abolished and transformed into a convent for noble virgins in 1556. After the old town church burned down in 1596, the abbey church then in place received status as town church. King Christian IV 's daughter, Leonora Christina Ulfeldt ,

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1672-1145: Is the contiguously built-up area, not to be confused with the previous municipalities with the same names that were made up of several whole parishes, including rural areas. Nakskov town (built-up area) had 16,935 inhabitants in 1960. The Church of Denmark has around 50 parishes in the municipality as of August 2023. Births:413 (2006);400 (2007);376 (2008);377 (2009);375 (2010);331 (2011);324 (2012);286 (2013);309 (2014);293 (2015);270 (2016);309 (2017);292 (2018);290 (2019);215 (2020);285 (2021);254 (2022);259 (2023) Deaths:822 (2006);759 (2007);754 (2008);755 (2009);756 (2010);711 (2011);651 (2012);739 (2013);677 (2014);675 (2015);671 (2016);667 (2017);698 (2018);694 (2019);685 (2020);700 (2021);725 (2022);661 (2023) Births - deaths:-409 (2006);-359 (2007);-378 (2008);-378 (2009);-381 (2010);-380 (2011);-327 (2012);-453 (2013);-368 (2014);-382 (2015);-401 (2016);-358 (2017);-406 (2018);-404 (2019);-470 (2020);-415 (2021);-471 (2022);-402 (2023) Source:Statistikbanken.dk/Befolkning og valg/(table)FODIE (births);FOD207 (deaths);BEV107 (births;deaths;birth surplus). The municipalities of Lolland and Bornholm and

1748-519: Is voluntary, that the existence of a state church has ancient historical roots, and that the church fulfils certain administrative tasks for the state. They also argue it would be difficult to decide whether church-owned real estate should be handed over to the state or not. The former possessions of the Catholic Church were ceded to the Crown at the reformation in 1536 . According to a poll conducted by

1824-600: The Church of Denmark , is the established , state-supported church in Denmark . The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of the reigning monarch and Denmark's Parliament, the Folketing . As of 1 January 2024 , 71.4% of the population of Denmark are members, though membership is voluntary. Chalcedonian Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by Ansgar , Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen . In

1900-760: The Danish Code of 1683. These are: Revised versions of the Old and New Testament were authorised by Queen Margrethe II in 1992. A revised Hymn Book was authorised in 2003. Both the Bible translations and the Hymn Book implied widespread public and theological debate. Historically, there is a contrast between a liberal current inspired by N. F. S. Grundtvig and more strict, pietist or Bible fundamentalist movements (such as Indre Mission ). These tensions have sometimes threatened to divide

1976-716: The Epistles or another part of the New Testament and, since 1992, from the Old Testament . Texts are picked from an official list following the church year . Some liturgical features have a fixed content but are free to the form. This accounts for the Common Prayer following the sermon , where the priest is encouraged to mention the royal house. Some will simply mention "the Queen and all her House" whereas others will list all members of

2052-491: The Faroe Islands , Iceland , England and Greece have official state churches , while Scotland has an officially recognised "national church" that is not connected to the state. Spain , Portugal , Italy and Austria have official ties to Catholicism ( concordat ), but these ties do not extend to Catholicism being recognised as the state religion in these countries. Further there are varying degrees of public funding of

2128-553: The Funen diocese , were made into an independent diocese, and the abbey church was given the status of the diocese's cathedral ( domkirke ) now known as Maribo Cathedral . The bishop, however, resides in Nykøbing Falster . Several times during the 1800s the church has been secured against decline. The town is served by Maribo railway station , located at Lollandsbanen , a railway line between Nykøbing Falster and Nakskov , which

2204-535: The Queen in 1968, and Mary Donaldson also converted from Presbyterianism before marrying Crown Prince Frederik in 2004. With the Reformation in Denmark in 1536, Lutheran Christianity was established as the state religion. For the next century, in a time when religious wars swept Europe, harsh persecution of other faiths followed ( Lutheran orthodoxy ). Exceptions were granted only to foreign diplomats. For at least

2280-468: The Supreme Court overturned the excommunication in 2005. According to the latest inquiry about 2.4% of church members attend services every week, although on Christmas Eve more than a third of the population attends. The church is still widely used for traditional family ceremonies including christenings and confirmations . In the year 2022, 31.2% of weddings and 80.7% funerals were performed in

2356-467: The free daily MetroXpress in April 2007, 52% wished to split church and state, 30% were against, and 18% undecided. Minister for Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs Bertel Haarder , spoke out against a split: "Church and state will be separated when more than half of the population are no longer members. N. F. S. Grundtvig said so, and I support that." The opposition Social Democrats also argued against

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2432-434: The state lottery fund , and members may tax-deduct membership fees and presents to the congregation. Additionally, those congregations recognised by royal decree before 1970 ( anerkendte trossamfund ) may name and baptize children with legal effect, keep their own church registers and transcribe certificates on the basis of such registers. This legal distinction between "recognised" and "approved" communities remains, but

2508-493: The 10th century, King Harald Bluetooth became a Catholic and began organizing the church, and by the 11th century, Christianity was largely accepted throughout the country. Since the Reformation in Denmark , the church has been Evangelical Lutheran , while retaining much of its high church pre-Reformation liturgical traditions. The 1849 Constitution of Denmark designated the church "the Danish people's church" and mandates that

2584-644: The Church of Denmark recognizes only two sacraments , Baptism and the Lord's Supper . These are usually included in the Communion Service. Formerly, individual or shared confession was a condition to receive the Lord's Supper. An official confession ritual still exists, but is now used very rarely. There are also official rituals for confirmation , wedding , blessing of a civil wedding and funerals . Emergency baptism may be performed by any Christian if necessary, and later

2660-530: The Church of Denmark, and 66.5% of children in grade 7–8 were confirmed. The level of weekly church attendance is similar to that in Norway and Sweden . According to a 2009 poll , 25% of Danes believed Jesus is the Son of God , and 18% believed he is the saviour of the world . The church is aimed at having a wide acceptance of theological views, as long as they agree with the official symbolic books as stipulated in

2736-744: The Church. Tidehverv is a minor fraction based on a strict Lutheranism and anti-modern, national-conservative views. The Church of Denmark is member the World Council of Churches , the Lutheran World Federation , the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe and the Porvoo Communion . The Communion Service includes three readings from the Bible : a chapter from one of the Gospels , from one of

2812-586: The Established Church of Denmark, as such, it shall be supported by the State. " §4 not only establish "Folkekirken" as the state church, but also gives certain boundaries as to what the state church is. It is forced to follow the Lutheran doctrines and if, as some critics claim, the Lutheran doctrines explicitly state that homosexuality is a sin then it is a violation of the constitution to allow gay marriages in

2888-424: The Established Church of Denmark, as such, it shall be supported by the State." On the other hand, article 68 ensures that citizens are not obliged to pay personal contributions to any religion other than their own. It has been questioned how these two principles can co-exist. Non-members do not pay church tax , but an additional state subsidiary accounts for 12% of the Church's income. This means every citizen, even

2964-600: The Ministry of Justice, deliberately separate from the Ministry of Ecclesiastical affairs. It merely investigates whether the organisation fulfills basic definitions, such as having a doctrine, creed and cult, in order to be called a congregation of faith. In 2003, the approval of the Forn Siðr religion caused some public debate. The Church is in practice barred from having official positions in political or other matters, since it has no central bodies that could define such stances: nor

3040-462: The archipelago of Ertholmene northeast of Bornholm are the places in eastern Denmark that are located the farthest from the capital and largest city of Denmark, Copenhagen . Although the transport to Copenhagen from Lolland can be undertaken by road and railway, Lolland from a point of view of transport can be seen as lying on a dead end (Danish: blind vej ; blindgyde ) - at least the western part. For most people having visited or visiting Germany on

3116-589: The area covering the present municipality had 61,879 inhabitants, and 1 January 1985 (registerbased) 55,897 inhabitants. In 2013 alone, population numbers fell by 2.043% (908 people), from 44,436 to 43,528 inhabitants. From 1965 to 1 December 2023, this represents a fall of 22,213 in the population number, which comes to 35.89%. The area given for the former municipalities is in square kilometers, and then in square miles: Nakskov municipality (area:32.67;12.61 square miles) alone had 17,390 inhabitants in 1965 (1998:15,549;2002: 15,152) and Maribo (area:154.02;59.46 square miles),

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3192-479: The area with 1,500 employees (1966:2,200 employees). It closed January 1, 1987. In the heavy industry other large industrial production sites within the municipality have concentrated their efforts on specialised parts of the production, design for instance, but all factory jobs - the majority of the jobs - have been lost, i.e. MAN B&W Diesel A/S (founded as Holeby Dieselmotorfabrik A/S in 1919) in Holeby . What remains

3268-524: The birth of their child was abolished. Instead, it was decided that in the future it was the task of the midwives to report all births in Denmark (only when a midwife isn't present at the birth of a child are the parents still obliged to report the birth of the child). From 1 December 2014 all applications should be submitted in digital form whenever possible. Article 4 in the Constitution of Denmark stipulates that "The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be

3344-404: The bishop of the diocese, and members remain full members of the Church. Historically, when a parish was dominated by a conservative majority and priest, the liberal minority would often set up a voluntary congregation with their own priest – and vice versa. Today the voluntary congregations are often a solution for people who find the idea of a free church appealing, but wish to keep some bonds to

3420-435: The bishop of the diocese. A special feature is the possibility of creating voluntary congregations ( valgmenighed ) within the Church. These account for a few percent of church members. They are voluntary associations , electing their own parochial council and parish pastor, whom they agree to pay from their own pockets. In return, they are exempt from church tax . The voluntary congregation and its pastor are subordinate to

3496-585: The child will then be "ratified" in Church. As supreme authority of the Church of Denmark, the monarch must be a member (article 6 of the Constitution). This applies to the royal princes and princesses as well, but does not apply to their spouses. Traditionally, though, every foreigner who has become a member of the royal family has converted or become a member of the church; as a result, the Prince Consort Henrik converted from Catholicism before marrying

3572-409: The church came under discussion. The issue was brought up in an unusual way by Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in 2004, who said he would approve of such a change, although he claimed to speak as a private person on this issue, not as prime minister. Views among proponents vary whether such a ceremony should be called 'marriage' or merely ' registered partnership ' (registreret partnerskab) , as

3648-534: The church in Belgium , Luxembourg , Germany , Norway , Sweden , in most cantons of Switzerland , and in the Alsace-Moselle region of France . The ordination of women , having been discussed within the church since the 1920s, has been allowed since 1948, despite some rather strong early resistance from the clergy. The then Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs was contacted by a parochial council who wished to employ

3724-477: The church, Inner Mission and Lutheran Mission , as well as one of the twelve bishops, maintain their protests against same-sex marriage. It will be up to each individual priest to decide whether he or she will conduct marriages of same-sex couples. The first same-sex couple was married on Friday 15 June. The process towards the official recognition of same sex marriage in the Church of Denmark began on 8 February 1973, when 'Provo Priest,' Harald Søbye , performed

3800-405: The church. Another, less commonly used feature is parish optionality ( sognebåndsløsning , literally "parish bond release"). If a Church member is dissatisfied with the particular pastor of his residence parish, he may choose to be served by another pastor who matches better with his Christian views, for example in a neighbouring parish. According to official statistics from January 2023, 72.1% of

3876-409: The church. During the next 15 years, Søbye performed approximately 210 blessings or weddings of same-sex couples. When Denmark introduced registered partnerships in 1989, the issue of same-sex marriage for some years received little attention. Church blessings of these partnerships slowly gained ground (see above). Later, the possibility of registered partnership, or same-sex marriage, performed by

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3952-426: The current arrangement is supported by most political parties. It has been challenged for decades by the left wing and by atheists ; more recently also by some ideological liberals and some members of free churches . Proponents for a separation ( disestablishment ) argue the state church violates equality of religions and the principle of the secular state . Proponents for the current system argue that membership

4028-434: The declared aim of preventing a possible split in the church. See the issues of Female clergy and Same-sex marriage below. The Church of Denmark conducts civil registration of births , deaths , change of name etc. ( vital records ). The keeping of such kirkebøger (" church books ") is a centuries-long tradition, dating from when the parish rectors were the only government representatives in rural areas. In 2002–03

4104-414: The former municipalities of Holeby , Højreby , Maribo, Nakskov , Ravnsborg , Rudbjerg and Rødby . The local politicians' original plan was to create two new municipalities: Maribo Kommune ( Midtlolland : middle of the island:Holeby, Højreby, Maribo, Rødby) and: Nakskov Kommune ( Vestlolland : western part of the island:Nakskov, Rudbjerg, Ravnsborg), but in a local referendum Wednesday 18 May 2005 it

4180-473: The inhabitants of Denmark are members of the Church of Denmark, 1.1 percentage points less than the previous year. Membership rates vary from 54.4% in the Diocese of Copenhagen to 82.0% in the Diocese of Viborg . In recent decades, the percentage of Danes that are members of the church has been slowly declining, the most important reasons being immigration from non-Lutheran countries, withdrawal of some members, and

4256-425: The local church and decides employment of personnel, including the pastors, musicians, verger , and sacristan . The pastor (Danish: præst ) is subordinate to the council, except in spiritual matters such as conducting church services and pastoral care . Parishes in the same local area are grouped into deaneries, with one priest serving as Rural Dean. Deaneries, parochial councils, and pastors are all subordinate to

4332-417: The main industrial center. Nordzucker also has a sugar processing factory in Nykøbing Falster in neighboring Guldborgsund Municipality. The focus on green technologies has resulted in another landscape feature, the many windmills dotting the island. The shipyard Nakskov Skibsværft founded in 1916 by East Asiatic Company's H. N. Andersen , who was born in Nakskov, was the largest single workplace in

4408-424: The matter with the bishops, but also stated that tolerance for various views should be respected. In contrast, the Minister for Employment, Claus Hjort Frederiksen , thought that the priests in question should be dismissed, as public employees are obliged to shake hands with anyone. A 2011 poll of the Danish public found that 75.8% of Danes approve of same-sex marriages being performed in the church. According to

4484-493: The municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007 which was made into law 26 June 2005 before the elections to the municipal councils including councils in the 67 new municipalities of which 66 functioned as merger committees during 2006. The new Ærø Municipality was allowed by the government to commence work from 1 January 2006. Bornholm Regional Municipality was created 1 January 2003. Lolland municipality

4560-672: The north and Søndersø ("The Southern Lake" or "Southern Maribo Lake") to the south. Søndersø is, with an area of 852 hectare , the largest lake on Lolland. There are more islands in Søndersø than in any other lake in Denmark. These include the islands of Fruerø, Hestø, Præstø, Borgø , Lindø, Askø and Worsaaes. This is part of the Maribo Lakes Nature Park, which spans the towns of Maribo, Holeby , Sakskøbing and Nysted . Saint Birgitta (1303–1373), also known as Birgitta of Vadstena, has cast her shadow on this municipality, and

4636-444: The original same-sex civil union was called. In practice, clergy have been allowed to decide for themselves whether to perform same-sex marriages or not, similar to the right to deny remarriage of divorced persons (a policy employed by a conservative minority of priests). A further controversy is that this new practice may be against the Danish constitution; §4 of the Danish constitution states: " The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be

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4712-413: The other side of Fehmarn Belt , Lolland is just a drive-by place along the motorway route. The railway passenger service in the municipality is operated by the railway company Lokaltog , subsidized by the central government through Movia , which is a part owner of the train company. A ferry route connects Lolland with Langeland to the west. The traffic corridor between Hamburg and Copenhagen

4788-490: The question of church blessing ceremonies for such unions emerged. After an enquiry from the Danish National Association of Gays and Lesbians in 1993, bishops set up a commission to reach a stance on the matter. An early stance on registered partnerships was reached in 1997. Bishops maintained that the ceremony of marriage was God's framework for the relation between a man and a woman, but this view of marriage

4864-491: The royal house by name and title. The sermon , as in other Protestant churches, is a central part of the service. The priest takes a starting point in the text of that Sunday, but is free to form a personal message of it. At special occasions, even non-priests may be allowed to preach. Hymns are also very central. In contrast to Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, Danish congregations sit while singing and stand while listening to Bible readings. As in other Lutheran churches,

4940-527: The second most populous municipality in 1965 in the area had 12,517 (1998:11,280;2002:11,039), Ravnsborg (197.59;76.28 sq mi) had 8,708 (1999:5,780;2002: 5,677), Rødby (120.37;46.47 sq mi) 8,198 (1999: 6,809;2002:6,763), Højreby (127.79;49.33 sq mi) 5,114 (1997:4,257;2002:4,175), Holeby (116.07;44.81 sq mi) 4,993 (1996:4,269;2002:4,149), and Rudbjerg (143.41; 55.37 sq mi) 4,959 (1999:3,584;2002:3,564) inhabitants. Towns (1 January 2023): Towns in Lolland Municipality with population numbers as of 1 January 2020. This

5016-474: The state support it as such. The Church of Denmark continues to maintain the historical episcopate . Theological authority is vested in bishops : ten bishops in mainland Denmark and one in Greenland , each overseeing a diocese. The bishop of Copenhagen is primus inter pares . The Church of Denmark is organized into eleven dioceses , each led by a bishop , including one for Greenland (the Faroe Islands

5092-580: The term state church and argue it is, as its name states, the "people's church". Article 66 of the Danish Constitution stipulates a church ordinance shall be laid down by law. This promissory clause dates back from the first Constitution of 1849 but was never put into practice. It was feared that splits could occur if a central authority were created. In very few cases have politicians deviated from their traditional hands-off course in church doctrinal matters. Where they have done so, it has been with

5168-571: The town of Rødbyhavn itself. Maribo Maribo is a town in Lolland Municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Lolland in south Denmark . It was the municipal seat of the former Maribo Municipality, until 1 January 2007, and then it became the seat of the current Lolland Municipality . The merchant town of Maribo is located centrally on Lolland. Its population is 5,827 (1 January 2024). It has, among other facilities,

5244-474: The traditional church records were replaced by a new national electronic registration system called Personregistrering . After protests in 2005, the Minister for Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs Bertel Haarder announced that people who for various reasons did not want to send their registration forms (e.g. births and namings) to the local church office could now send their forms to a central office located in Nykøbing Falster . In 2010 parents' duty to report

5320-423: Was a twelfth diocese until 29 July 2007). The most senior bishop ( primus inter pares ) is the bishop of Copenhagen , currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen . The further subdivision includes 111 deaneries and 2,200 parishes . There are about 2,400 ordained pastors (Danish: præst ). Each parish has a parochial council, elected by church members in four-year terms. The parochial council leads the practical business of

5396-515: Was decided by the voters to combine all of the 7 municipalities into one (the results were 51.6% for in Midtlolland and 54.6% for in Vestlolland ). This is on a par with Sønderborg Municipality , which also is made up of 7 old municipalities, which is the highest among the new municipalities. Lolland's municipal council consists of 25 members as of January 2018, elected every four years. Below are

5472-440: Was distinguished from a legal ceremony, which was performed by a mayor or another municipal official. On 15 June 2012 the Church of Denmark made the decision to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies and not merely bless them; therefore Denmark now recognises same-sex marriages . In early 2012 Minister for Equality , Ecclesiastical Affairs and Nordic Cooperation , Manu Sareen introduced a bill approving same-sex marriage, which

5548-468: Was introduced in Denmark, but Lutheranism remained the state church. A religious community does not need any state approval in order to enjoy the freedom of religion granted by the constitution. However, state-approved congregations ( godkendte trossamfund ) enjoy several privileges. They may conduct legal weddings , establish own cemeteries , get residence permits for foreign priests, are exempt from corporate and property tax , may apply for means from

5624-528: Was not affected by the fact that some people chose to live in a responsible community with a person of the same sex, approved by society, i.e. a registered partnership. The bishops disapproved of institutionalising new rituals, but couples who wished a non-ritualised marking in church of their registered partnership should be obliged. In such cases, it would be up to the rector to decide, and he should seek advice from his bishop. At this time, many churches chose to bless registered partnerships, however this blessing

5700-521: Was passed in parliament in June 2012. A wedding ritual with liturgy has been developed and presented to parliament by the eleven bishops who are in favor of same-sex marriages being performed in church. Manu Sareen and a majority of bishops initially proposed the ritual would not declare the same-sex couple 'spouses', but 'life partners' ( livsfæller , a Danish neologism ), but the minister later changed his mind on this detail. Two conservative organisations within

5776-468: Was probably the abbey's most famous resident. In 1685 after her release from 21 years imprisonment for high treason from the Blue Tower ( Blåtårn ) in Copenhagen's Castle, she spent her final years in the then already dilapidated abbey, and was buried in a crypt at the church, until her body was removed shortly after the burial. In 1803-1804 the islands of Lolland - Falster , which previously belonged to

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