Sofie Petersen

The Right Reverend

Sofie Petersen
Bishop of Greenland
Bishop Sofie Petersen
ChurchChurch of Denmark
Installed1995
Term ended2020
PredecessorKristian Mørch
SuccessorPaneeraq Siegstad Munk
Personal details
Born
Sofie Bodil Louise Lisbeth Petersen

(1955-11-23) 23 November 1955 (age 69)
Maniitsoq, Greenland,
Kingdom of Denmark
NationalityGreenlandic
DenominationLutheranism
Spouse
Christian Tidemand
​
(m. 1976)​
EducationTheology
Alma materUniversity of Copenhagen, 1986
Years active1987–2020
TitleBishop
Websitewww.groenlandsstift.dk

Sofie Petersen (born 1955) is a Greenlandic Lutheran bishop.[1] She was Bishop of Greenland from 1995 to 2020.

Early life and education

She was born on 23 November 1955 in Maniitsoq, Greenland. She studied theology and graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 1986. On 28 May 1995, at the age of 39, Petersen was ordained as the Bishop of Greenland in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark.[2]

Ministry

She was ordained at Hans Egede Church, the cathedral of Greenland, in the presence of Queen Margrethe II.[3] She was the second woman to become a bishop in the Danish Lutheran church, and its second Inuit bishop.[4]

Petersen is an outspoken advocate for climate justice.[5] She worked closely with the Greenland's government to ensure the law would allow same-sex couples to marry in churches and other religious buildings.[6] She retired in December 2020.

References

  1. ^ Grue, Claus (2020-02-07). "Greenland's grand Gospel preacher — World Council of Churches". Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  2. ^ Vincent, Claus. "Travl grønlandsk teolog." Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Kristeligt Dagblad. 16 August 2008 (retrieved 30 August 2010)
  3. ^ International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. Indigenous World. 1994. Page 32. (retrieved 30 August 2010)
  4. ^ Dutton, Edward. "Northern Rites: The Impact of Women Bishops." Church Times. 30 January 2009 (retrieved 30 August 2010)
  5. ^ "Bells ring a wake-up call for climate justice." Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine World Council of Churches. 14 December 2010 (retrieved 30 August 2010)
  6. ^ Hauksdóttir, Gunnhildur (2016-04-03). "Gay rights in Greenland". IceNews - Daily News. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-02-17.


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