Solveig Margrete Fiske (born 26 October 1952) is a

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

and bishop emerita in the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

, serving as the bishop of

Hamar Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake ...

between 2006 and 2022, when she retired. Originally from

Frei Frei is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2008 when it was incorporated into Kristiansund Municipality. It was located between the Kvernesfjorden and Freifj ...

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is t ...

, she graduated from the Free Faculty of Theology (now the

MF Norwegian School of Theology MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society ( no, MF vitenskapelig høyskole for teologi, religion og samfunn), formerly the Free Faculty of Theology ( no, Det teologiske menighetsfakultet) and MF Norwegian School of Theology, is an accr ...

) in 1980, and completed her practical examinations there in 1981. She briefly worked as a consultant for the Church Council in 1981, followed by an assignment to the parish in

Elverum is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum. Other settlements in the municipality include Heradsbygd, Sørsko ...

as a chaplain between 1982 and 1994. In 1994, she became the parish priest in

Løten Løten is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Løten. Other villages in the municipality include Ådalsbruk, Heimd ...

, a position she held for 12 years. Fiske was consecrated as bishop of the Diocese of Hamar, the diocese encompassing both Elverum and Løten, on . As bishop of Hamar, she succeeded the first female bishop in the church of Norway,

Rosemarie Köhn Rosemarie Köhn (20 October 1939 – 30 October 2022) was a bishop of the Church of Norway, holding that position in the Diocese of Hamar from 20 May 1993 to 1 November 2006. Biography Köhn was born to a German father and Norwegian mother and ...

, and became the fourth woman to be ordained bishop in Norway.

Olav Skjevesland Olav Skjevesland (31 May 19428 September 2019) was a Norwegian theologian and priest. He was the Bishop of the Diocese of Agder og Telemark from 1998 until his retirement in 2012, and since that time he was a Bishop Emeritus. He was also the ...

, bishop in the

Diocese of Agder and Telemark In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

, officiated at her consecration. On , she went public with the view that the Church of Norway should develop a church liturgy for the establishment of same-sex partnerships. Following Norway's starting to certify same-sex marriages in 2009, the Church of Norway adopted a new liturgy suitable for wedding same-sex couples in 2017. Fiske retired from active duty on 31 October 2022, after reaching the age limit of 70 years five days earlier.

Appointments

In addition to her pastoral assignments, she has served in a number of committees and councils, notably: * As member of the church council for the diocese of

* The regional board in the Norwegian ministerial association * Since 1982, as a member of the parish council for

and

* A number of church task forces related to the role of women in religious life * Since 2004, chair of the board of the church's resource center against violence and sexual assault

References

Biography by the diocese of Hamar

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiske, Solveig Bishops of Hamar Norwegian Lutheran bishops Women Lutheran bishops MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society alumni 21st-century Norwegian Lutheran bishops People from Møre og Romsdal 1952 births Living people