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332
III. CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION.
of Archbishop, and among the bishops he is "primus inter pares’’ and is
ex officio president of the Convocation. A bishop alone has not the
right of final decision; he shares it with the other members of the chapter.
Against the decision of a bishop or a chapter, appeal may be made to the
higher courts of law or to the Government.
The Chapters, also called Consistories, are composed of the rector of the chief
parish in the cathedral city (the Dean), and the majority of the "lectors" (principal
masters) at the State secondary school there; in the universities, however, the
professors in theology take the place of the latter. In the chapter of Gothenburg,
two other rectors of the town also have seats. The city of Stockholm, really
belonging to the diocese of Uppsala, has, notwithstanding, a consistory of its
own, composed of the rectors of the city, (of whom the one in the
Storkyrko-parish is "Pastor Primarius"), besides a so-called Court consistory for the Court and
garrison parishes.
Clergymen in the Swedish Church are educated, after passing the
university entrance examination (studentexamen), at the two State
universities (Uppsala and Lund), where their courses of study are tolerably
long (on an average 5 years), and a preparatory examination must be
passed in the faculty of philosophy. Supplementary clergymen are sent
ouj; by the chapters as assistant curates, or priests in charge, to parishes
where their help is needed. The regular clergymen are of two classes:
Rectors (kyrkoherdar), one in each living, and Perpetual Curates
(komministrar), constituting a class of assistant clergymen with fixed
appointments, especially to be found in such benefices as are very large, or consist
of more than one parish.
For the appointment of regular incumbents, the following is the procedure.
A vacant living is thrown open to application by the priesthood of the diocese.
After examining their merits, the cathedral chapter proposes three of the
applicants between whom the final choice lies. These preach on trial in the parish
church, after which a vote is taken. At this election, every man or woman
belonging to the Swedish Church, and entitled to a communal vote, (not juristic
persons) has one vote. So also has the wife of a man enjoying communal
franchise. At country elections the votes may be recorded by proxy, but no one
may act for more than one voter. The candidate who polls most votes at an
election is nominated by the chapter. If the parish is not content with those
proposed by the chapter, at the election of a rector a "fourth man" can be
invited irrespective of his diocese, when a sufficiently powerful majority is obtained
to demand it. In this case, the election having been concluded, the matter goes
to the Government. In about 80 livings the incumbent is appointed by a
patron.
The old and very disproportionate conditions of remuneration are in process
of being replaced by a new scheme, laid down by the law of December 9th,
1910. Tithes are abolished, and instead of them, the state pays a yearly
contribution to the Church funds, under the official control of the State for church
purposes, and these funds receive additional contributions from other sources. Out
of this a part of the remuneration of the priesthood is discharged. This is really
made up partly of the income derived from church farms (glebe), hereafter to be
leased under the direction of the authorities (no priest is allowed to farm his
own glebe), and partly of contributions from the parish. The fixed stipend of
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