In this study the medializing of the Church of Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic have been examined to see the impact on youths’ freedom of religion during the time of the Swedish national restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The digital adaption of the Church of Sweden was analysed through the concept of amplification, framing and co-structuring, whilst Klasson Sundins theory on the child’s freedom of religion was adapted to investigate if the rights of the child have been limited by the restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Sweden. The conclusions are that the youth have been benefiting from the increased digitalization of the church, which has been more inviting for the youth and has made volunteering more accessible for the youth as well. It is not only the digitalization that have contributed to this. The fact that the recommendations to elderly have been more severe due to the increased risk of COVID-19 with age, has created a gap in the church when people who used to volunteer was not able to do that anymore. This gap has been filled by the youth of the church. To confirm these conclusions further research must be done, preferably by asking the people who have been working with the youth of the church and by letting the youth themselves, tell us their story about being a part of the church during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study uses the coping theory and search for significance by Kenneth Pargament (1997) applied to the issue of occupational burnout among parish deacons in the Church of Sweden. The Social Insurance Report of 2020:8 presents deacons and priests as a profession at high risk of falling ill in stress related mental illness and sick leaves. The aim with this essay is to try to find whether there are aspects of Pargament’s coping theory that can be applied on this problem. Two main questions were answered:- What does the Church of Sweden’s governing documents state regarding the deaconry related to structure and role clarity? - How can we use Pargament’s coping theory on search for significance to understand the burnout issue among deacons as it is presented in the Social Insurance Report of 2020:8? Through a thematic analysis, three themes were distinguished: Clarity of Mission, Religions as Motivation and Structure and Management. These themes set the foundation for the result presented in this report. The chapter of Analysis deepens the connection to the coping theory and three specific assumptions of Pargament. The conclusion is that the governing documents are quite vague in presenting the deaconry related to structure and role clarity. There is also a lack of understanding, regarding deaconry and diakonia of the church, amongst parish leaderships which in turn leads to challenges and frictions for the local parish deacons. Many of them also wish for more liturgical elements and time for religious praxis within their working hours which results in a discussion of conserving or transforming the individuals’ significance.

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This thesis examines the role played by the Church of Sweden in the field of social work, with some comparison to the social services. The Church of Sweden has a rich history of engaging with communities, delivering social support, and addressing the welfare needs of its congregants and the wider population. Employing qualitative research methods and interviews of a selection of priests and deacons, this thesis aims to gain a greater understanding of the church’s social work initiatives, contrasting them with the more bureaucratic and secular approach of the social services. The study also examines the difference between social work driven by faith and mercy, compared to that based on justice and rights. The results have led us to the conclusion that there are certain innate advantages to a mercy-based model of social work, but also inherent drawbacks of such nature that it would not make such an approach to social work a viable alternative as a basis for building a reliable social safety net, but also makes it a valuable complement.

Cemeteries are an integral part of the cityscape, which as a societal function are responsible for the interment of the deceased in a dignified manner. Cemeteries as a space imbued with cultural, historical, religious and emotional significance - as a site for grief, reflection and contemplation they also have a significant physical presence in the city. Cemeteries are a somewhat hidden issue in urban planning in Sweden today, but as a land intensive development that locks the land from future reuse it is paramount that the complexity is examined. The Burial Act (SFS 1990:1144) governs burial practice, services and the organisation structure of cemeteries in Sweden which creates an interesting set of conditions. The thesis investigates future cemetery planning in the context of Gothenburg, Sweden, as the city is faced with a shortage of burial space in the coming decade. Simultaneously, Gothenburg is growing and land for future development is highly contested. This provides motivation for why cemetery planning needs to be understood in an urban context. The thesis will use two case studies, first the case of Järva cemetery in Stockholm as inspiration for cemetery planning in current society and secondly the case of Gothenburg to guide the research regarding how to plan for cemeteries that are socially just. An extensive literature review and interviews with relevant actors, are used to gain knowledge of cemetery planning and the functions of cemeteries in a European context, as well as future trends regarding cemetery planning. The interviews are examined through the themes of physical considerations, qualities of cemeteries, diversity in burial provision and governance. Results of the interviews indicate the multifaceted nature of planning for cemeteries. The method of scenario planning is subsequently utilized as a tool to explore how a future cemetery in Gothenburg can be planned, developed and designed through four possible scenarios - small-peripheral, small-urban, large-urban and large-peripheral. A scenario analysis is carried out using a social justice theoretical framework to illuminate how a socially just cemetery development can be established and potential challenges regarding this. The concepts analysed through the theoretical framework are planning, ownership and management, finance, social infrastructure and environmental impact. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the cemetery scenarios analysis and providing recommendations for future cemetery planning in Gothenburg.

Gender equality and women's rights have long been a prioritised topic for Swedish aid agencies. In this thesis the aim is through qualitative interviews with employees at the Swedish aid organisation Act Church of Sweden, to unravel some of the challenges met when working with this issue. The respondents all worked at the office in Uppsala or with the office in Uppsala, but tightly with partner organisations. Act Church of Sweden works together with partner organisations in every part of the world with different topics, gender equality being one of them. The results of the interviews showed a wide range of challenges related to a local level at the partner organisations, but also at a global level with patriarchal structures and gender backlash, as well as at the organisational level with administration, resources and funding. Unique were aso the faith-based challenges highlighted by the respondents. The results were discussed together with two theories; Intersectional Feminist Theory and Jack Donnelly’s Universality of Human Rights.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka textilförvaringen i Svenska kyrkan, specifikt Visby och Strängnäs stift. Studiens fokus ligger på hur förvaringen ser ut i praktiken jämfört med vad litteratur och riktlinjer anser vara ”best practice”. Studien ämnar även att undersöka hur och i vilken utsträckning församlingarna använder rutiner och riktlinjer. För att undersöka hur textilförvaringen ser ut har enkäter skickats ut till ett antal församlingar och pastorat i stiften. Det har även hållits intervjuer med Visby stiftsantikvarie och fastighetssamordnare, samt Strängnäs stiftsantikvarier. Studien visar att textilförvaringen i stiften är modern, men att det finns förbättringspotential, specifikt inom rutiner, kommunikation och ansvar. Stiften prioriterar olika aspekter när det kommer till textilförvaringen, vilket kan förklara skillnader i till exempel inneklimat och förvaringslösningar. Riktlinjer och leddokument används och är följbara i viss utsträckning, men studien visar att vissa riktlinjer är svåra att följa på grund av ekonomiska begränsningar och brist på arbetskraft. Klimatförändringar, minskade intäkter och minskat ekonomiskt stöd kom-mer troligen göra detta ännu svårare i framtiden. / The purpose of this study is to investigate textile storage in the Church of Sweden, specifically Visby and Sträng-näs diocese. The focus of the study is on how the storage looks in practice compared to what literature and guidelines consider to be ‘best practice’. The study also aims to investigate how and to what extent the parishes use standards and guidelines. To investigate how textile storage looks, questionnaires have been sent out to a number of parishes and pastorates in the diocese. Interviews were also held with the Visby diocesan antiquarian and property coordinator, and the Strängnäs diocesan antiquarians. The study shows that textile storage in the dioceses is modern, but that there is potential for improvement, specifically in routines, communication and responsibility. The dioceses prioritise different aspects when it comes to textile storage, which may explain differences in, for example, indoor climate and storage solutions. Guidelines and guidance documents are used and followed to a certain extent, but the study shows that some guidelines are difficult to follow due to financial constraints and labour shortages. Climate change, reduced revenues and reduced financial support are likely to make this even more difficult in the future.

Through the lenses of religion’s role in society, the purpose of this thesis is to examine, the role of the Church of Sweden in providing support to people at the end of life. Questions asked are:  "What types of spiritual support is offered by the Church of Sweden during terminal care provided in patients' homes and how is this support expressed in church orders, assembly instructions, plans of operations and congregation letters?" and " How can the work of the Church of Sweden be understood, based on theories of religion's role in society? The method used is a content analysis of the Church Order, assembly instructions, plans of operations and congregation letters in 17 different congregations within the diocese of Lund. I then engage in a discussion with theories on differentiation and the privatization of religion as a means to interpret my results. My conclusion is that the investigated parishes in the diocese of Lund do not have any specific goals or targets documented for spiritual support to people who are at life’s end cared in their homes. This can be understood based on theories of differentiation. The privatization of religion may explain the phenomenon that people's religious needs are not linked to the collective institutional religion of the Church of Sweden.  This is despite of the fact that a large proportion of the Swedish population belongs to the Church of Sweden. The de-privatization of religion, at a societal level can explain the reason why these concerns are attracting an increased interest from the healthcare services as people's need of spiritual support are discussed. The question of who should meet the patients' needs for spiritual support is unclear.

This study is about twinning partnerships between congregations in the Church of Sweden (CoS) and the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). The study is about three congregations within the diocese of Härnösand that has twinning congregations within the diocese of Iringa. The aim of the study is to define values within the twinning congregations that are important to the CoS. The study is based on interviews with lay people, elected and employed people within CoS. Swedish informants have told me that they see the prayer being part of daily life in a more natural manner for the friends in Tanzania. “The prayer is real within the congregations in Tanzania”, the people of the CoS are saying. What is the value for the CoS of having twinning congregations with ELCT? What do the Swedish people gain of it and how is it affected of the economical differences between the twinning congregations?

The aim of this essay is first and foremost to clarify which kind of different answers there are to identify within an evangelical-lutheran tradition considering what a person should confess and take responsibility for as their sin and guilt. Secondly this essay aims to suggest the most plausible one. This essay thematically present four different figures of ideas that answers to the question of what a person should confess as their sin and guilt. These figures are: 1) To confess the ontological state of guilt 2) To confess the subjective sin and guilt 3) To confess the objective sin and guilt 4) To confess participation in the structural sin and guilt. These four different views of what to confess have been tested through three different criterias: a criteria of theology - by testing the coherence with an evangelical-lutheran tradition, a criteria of pastoral psychology - by testing the correspondence with theories in pastoral psychology and a criteria of good consequences - to see if the views of what to confess have a liberating effect on an individual and collective level. After testing these different views of what to confess my conclusion is that the most valid one is “ to confess our objective sin and guilt” because it expresses the violation of the “relation”. Some of the other views may serve as a good explanation for the human “situation”, but are not appropriate to confess as guilt.