The Catholic Church in Iceland () is part of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, under the spiritual leadership of the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. The island is served by a single diocese, the Diocese of Reykjavík, having a total of seven parishes. , the ordinary is bishop Dávid Bartimej Tencer. The diocese is directly subject to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

Statistics

, there are 14,723 Catholics in Iceland, with 6 diocesan priests, 9 religious order priests, and 38 sisters in religious orders. Catholics represent 3.91% of the Icelandic population and are growing in number rapidly, due in large part to Polish immigration to Iceland. The Diocese of Reykjavík covers the whole of Iceland. The diocese has a cathedral, Christ the King Cathedral (''Dómkirkja Krists Konungs'') in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, and a number of smaller churches and chapels in the larger towns around the country.

History

Pre-Reformation

Some of the earliest inhabitants of Iceland were Irish monks, known as ''

Papar The ''Papar'' (; from Latin , via Old Irish, meaning "father" or "pope") were Irish monks who took eremitic residence in parts of Iceland before that island's habitation by the Norsemen of Scandinavia. Their existence is attested by the early ...

''. However, the small population was overwhelmed in the eighth and ninth centuries by migrations of Scandinavians, most of whom practised what can loosely be called

Germanic paganism Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological dating, chronological range of at least one thousand years in an area covering Scandinavia, the Bri ...

. Particularly through the influence of continental missionaries and pressure from the Norwegian king, Iceland officially converted in 999/1000 AD, but the

Christianisation of Iceland Iceland was Christianized in the year 1000 AD, when Christianity was legally adopted as the official religion by decision of the Althing. In Icelandic, this event is known as the (literally, "the taking of Christianity"). The vast majority of ...

, as with the rest of Scandinavia, was a long process, beginning before official conversion and continuing after it. Before the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, there were two dioceses in Iceland, the

Diocese of Skálholt The Diocese of Skálholt ( ) is a suffragan diocese of the Church of Iceland. It was the estate of the first bishop in Iceland, Isleifr Gizurarson, who became bishop in 1056. (Christianity had been formally adopted in 1000). His son, Gizurr, do ...

(first bishop,

Ísleifur Gissurarson Ísleifur Gissurarson (c. 1006 – 5 July 1080), an Icelandic clergyman, became the first bishop of Iceland, following the adoption of Christianity in 1000 AD. His parents were Gissur Teitsson and Þórdís Þóroddsdóttir. After studying in ...

, 1056), and the Diocese of Hólar (first bishop, Bl.

Jón Ögmundsson Jón Ögmundsson or Ögmundarson (; 1052–23 April 1121), also known as John of Hólar and St. Jón Ögmundarson or Ögmundsson (), was an Icelandic Catholic bishop. In 1106, the second Icelandic diocese, Hólar, was created in the north of Ice ...

, 1106).

Reformation

During the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, Iceland adopted

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

in place of

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Two men,

Oddur Gottskálksson Oddur Gottskálksson (1495/1496 – 1556) was the translator of the first book printed in Icelandic, the New Testament. Oddur was born in Hólar where his father, Gottskálk grimmi Nikulásson was bishop. After his father died in 1520, Oddur ...

and

Gissur Einarsson Gissur Einarsson (c. 1512 – 24 March 1548; Modern Icelandic: ) was a bishop in Skálholt from 1540 to his death, and the first Lutheran bishop in Iceland. Gissur was the son of Einar Sigvaldason on Hraun í Landbroti and of Gunnhildur Jónsdó ...

, became disciples of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and soon secured followers, particularly after King

Christian III of Denmark and Norway A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

declared himself for Lutheranism and began to enforce the change in his kingdom. This led to resistance and civil war on the island.

Jón Arason Jón Arason (1484 – November 7, 1550) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic bishop and poet, who was executed in his struggle against the Reformation in Iceland. Background Jón Arason was born in Gryta, educated at Munkaþverá, the Benedictine ...

and

Ögmundur Pálsson Ögmundur Pálsson, O.E.S.A. (c. 1475 – 13 July 1541; Modern Icelandic: ) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic prelate, who was the last Catholic bishop of the Icelandic diocese of Skálholt, from 1521 until 1540. He was the son of Páll Guð ...

, the Catholic bishops of Skálholt and Hólar respectively, opposed the king's efforts at promoting the Reformation in Iceland. Pálsson was deported by Danish officials in 1541, but Arason decided to fight. Opposition to the Reformation effectively ended in 1550 when Arason was captured after being defeated in the

Battle of Sauðafell The Battle of Sauðafell (''Orrustan á Sauðafelli'') occurred in 1550, when the forces of Catholic Bishop Jón Arason clashed with the forces of Daði Guðmundsson of Snóksdalur. Location Sauðafell was an important part of Daði's fief in ...

by royalist forces under

Daði Guðmundsson Daði Guðmundsson ( – 1563) or Daði of Snóksdal was a farmer and magistrate in 16th century Iceland. He lived in the town of Snóksdalur in Dalasýsla, Dalasýsla county and played an important role in the Battle of Sauðafell and the Icelan ...

. Arason and his two sons were subsequently beheaded in Skálholt on 7 November 1550. As a consequence, Catholicism was outlawed and church property was appropriated by Iceland's rulers.

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

remained the official language of the Lutheran

Church of Iceland The Church of Iceland (), officially the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (), is the State religion, national church of Iceland. The church is Christian and professes the Lutheranism, Lutheran faith. It is a member of the Lutheran World ...

until 1686. While a good part of Catholic terminology and other externals were retained, Lutheran teachings differed considerably from Catholic doctrine. Those Catholics who refused to convert were forced into exile. Most chose

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

as their place of exile. Catholic clergy were outlawed in Iceland for more than three centuries.

Revival

The Catholic Church established on 8 December 1855 a jurisdiction under the name ''

Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole The Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole existed from 1855 to 1869. When established, it consisted of territory in Arctic Canada (including Rupert's Land, the Northwest Territories and British Arctic Territories), the portions of C ...

'' (Praefectura Apostolica Poli Arctici) that included Iceland. Several years later, the two French priests

Bernard Bernard Bernard Bernard (21 July 1821 in Mogues, France – 28 October 1895) was a French Catholic priest and missionary in Norway, Iceland and Scotland. He was the first Prefect Apostolic of Norway and Sápmi (area), Lapland from 1869 to 1887. Life Bern ...

(1821–1895) and

Jean-Baptiste Baudoin Jean-Baptiste Baudoin (11 January 1831 in Juniville, France – 15 November 1875 in Juniville) was a French Catholic priest and missionary in Iceland. Life Baudoin and Bernard Bernard (1821–1895) were the first Catholic priests serve in Iceland ...

(1831–1875) settled in Iceland in 1857 and 1858 respectively. They met with a difficult reception and in 1862, Bernard left the country, while Baudoin persevered until 1875. On 17 August 1869 Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

set up an '' Apostolic Prefecture of Denmark'', which now included Iceland. Freedom of worship was enacted in 1874. After an interval, Catholic missionary efforts were resumed, with by the turn of the century a church, a school and even a hospital run by nuns. The former jurisdiction became an ''Apostolic Vicariate of Denmark'' on 15 March 1892. Thereafter, the island territory became for the

an independent unit, first as the ''Apostolic Prefecture of Iceland'' on 23 June 1923 and then, not many years later, on 6 June 1929, as the ''Apostolic Vicariate of Iceland''. It was on 18 October 1968 that this entity matured into the '' Diocese of Reykjavík''. Even though the Catholic population remains small, both as a percentage of the overall population and in absolute numbers, it grew from about 450 in 1950 to 5,590 in 2004, during which time the total population grew from 140,000 to 290,000. In the twentieth century Iceland had some notable, if at times temporary, converts to the Catholic faith. For a time

Halldór Laxness Halldór Kiljan Laxness (; born Halldór Guðjónsson; 23 April 1902 – 8 February 1998) was an Icelandic writer and winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays, plays, travelogues and sh ...

was a Catholic. Although this did not last, his Catholic period is of importance due to his position in modern Icelandic literature. A more consistently Catholic writer in Icelandic was

Jón Sveinsson Jón Stefán Sveinsson, SJ, better known as Nonni (16 November 1857 – 16 October 1944), was an Icelandic children's writer and member of the Society of Jesus. He left Iceland in 1870 for France, where he converted to Catholicism. His ch ...

. He moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

at the age of 13 and became a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. He remained in the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

for the rest of his life. He was well liked as a children's book author (though he did not write in Icelandic) and he even appeared on an Icelandic postage stamp. In 1989,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited Iceland. Today, the number of Catholics in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, a predominantly

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

country, comprises just under 3.81% of the population, and form the second largest denomination in the country. The Diocese of Reykjavík covers the whole of Iceland. There is a Christ the King Cathedral (''Dómkirkja Krists Konungs'') in Reykjavík and a number of smaller churches and chapels in the larger towns. The Bishop of Reykjavík participates in the Scandinavian Bishops Conference. Many of the Catholics are Central European and Filipino immigrants; if they are excluded, Catholics are about 1% of the population, the figure before immigrants started coming in large numbers. On 17 June 2017 a new Catholic Church was consecrated in

Reyðarfjörður Reyðarfjörður () is a town in Iceland. It has a population of 1,368 (2024) and is one of the most populated villages that constitute the municipality of Fjarðabyggð. History The town is at the bottom of the eponymous fjord In physical g ...

in a ceremony led by Bishop Tencer. The church building was a gift from the

Slovak Catholic Church Slovak Catholic Church may refer to: * Catholic Church in Slovakia, incorporating all communities and institutions of the Catholic Church in Slovakia * Slovak Greek Catholic Church The Slovak Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine Catholic Church i ...

. The church was built from wood in Slovakia, disassembled and shipped to Reyðarfjörður where it was re-assembled.

Robert Fico Robert Fico (; born 15 September 1964) is a Slovak politician who has served as the prime minister of Slovakia since 2023. He previously served as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. He founded the left-wing political party D ...

, the

Prime Minister of Slovakia The prime minister of Slovakia, officially the chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic (Slovak language, Slovak: ''Predseda vlády Slovenskej republiky''), commonly referred to in Slovakia as ''Predseda vlády'' or informally as ''Prem ...

, attended the consecration.

Footnotes

External links

Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík
*Iceland i

{{Religion in Iceland