Peter Henrik Skov-Jakobsen (born 22 February 1959 in Korup, Denmark) is a Danish

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

. Since 2009 he has been the sixth bishop of the

Diocese of Copenhagen The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main cathedral of ...

and consequently the ''

primus inter pares is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their seniority in office. H ...

'' of the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( , or unofficially ; ), sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of ...

Education

Skov-Jakobsen graduated from St. Canute High School in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

in 1979, which was followed by two years of study in Germany. In 1992 he completed a Masters of Arts in Theological Understanding of Industrial Society at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

. This happened while he was studying theology at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

. In July 1993, after completion of his studies, he became a Cand.theol.

Priesthood

Between October 1988 and August 1993, Skov-Jakobsen worked as an assistant at the Seaman's Mission in the English city of

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

. After he completed his theology examinations, he was ordained as a sailor priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. He remained there until December 1997. In January 1998 Skov-Jakobsen was appointed as parish priest of the

Church of Holmen The Holmen Church () is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the weddi ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. In 2000 he became a lecturer at the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

school and in 2002 he joined as an instructor at the Naval Academy. In 2003 he became the theological adviser of the Bishop of Copenhagen, Erik Norman Svendsen.

Bishop

After the retirement of Erik Norman Svendsen as Bishop of Copenhagen in 2009, Skov-Jakobsen was chosen as one of the six candidates. He lost the first round to the Secretary General of Kirkefondet Kaj Bollmann who got 257 votes against Skov-Jakobsen's 214. In the second round of elections only Skov-Jakobsen and Bollmann remained. Skov-Jakobsen got 608 votes against Kaj Bollmanns 353 votes. He was installed as Bishop of Copenhagen on 31 August 2009 in the Cathedral of Our Lady in

as the sixth bishop since the diocese was established in 1922."Om Peter Skov-Jakobsen"
Retrieved on 10 November 2015. On 1 January 2010 he became a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skov-Jakobsen, Peter 20th-century Danish Lutheran clergy 21st-century Danish Lutheran bishops University of Copenhagen alumni People from Odense Municipality 1959 births Living people