Dick Adolf Viktor Helander (23 June 1896 – 14 August 1978) was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
bishop in
Strängnäs diocese between 1952 and 1953 and a professor. He lost his position as a bishop in the aftermath of the Helander case.
Life and career
Helander was born 23 June 1896 in
Nyköping
Nyköping () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,759 inhabitants as of 2017. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.
Including Arnö, the locality on the ...
, and graduated from Karolinska college in Örebro in 1915.
After studies in
Uppsala and Gothenburg Helander received a fil, cand. in philosophy in 1918. Helander officially became a priest on 20 May 1923 in
Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
s congregation.
In 1931 he became a docent in practical theology at
Lund University. In 1952, Helander was named bishop of
Strängnäs.
Helander died on 14 August 1978, when he was hit by a tram in
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. He was buried at the Mariachurch on 30 August 1978.
The Helander Defamation Case
On 22 December 1953, Helander was indicted in connection with libelous letters defaming other candidates, that he was claimed to have sent to members of Strängnäs bishopric.
He was prosecuted and sentenced against his own denials for defamation.
He was expelled from his bishop position.
The sentence was appealed. In 1954 the sentence was upheld by
Svea Court of Appeal and other appeals were not brought up. The affair was known by the name Helandermålet (meaning The Helander case).
Helander later wrote several books proclaiming his innocence about writing the letters.
In 2002, new tests on the
saliva
Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be ...
from the letters proved that Helander had not posted the letters of recommendation personally.
Bibliography
* ''Bönbok - Stora bedjares böner''
* ''Nattvardsbok''
* ''Handbok vid jordfästning''
* ''Handbok för kyrkliga förrättningar''
* ''Den liturgiska utvecklingen i Sverige 1811-1894''
* ''
Svensk psalmhistoria'' (1946)
* ''Herdabrev till Strängnäs stift'' (1953)
* ''
I domkyrkans skugga'' (1955)
* ''Oskyldigt dömd'' (1957)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helander, Dick
Lutheran bishops of Strängnäs
1896 births
1978 deaths
People from Nyköping Municipality
Academic staff of Lund University