With or without Faith. Spiritual Care in the Church of Sweden at a Time of Transition

Abstract

The article describes spiritual care offered by the Church of Sweden to people in the last phase of their lives and to the bereaved. The Church ministers in a secularized society. Its changed place in the culture can be seen in the fact that it was recently officially separated from the State. The article contrasts the languages of spiritual care about the support given to those in their last phase of life, compared to those in grief. Traditional theological language is used with the dying, while the newer psychological “clinical lore” is used with the bereaved. These contrasts are expressions of the different positions linked to expectations that are connected with roles that the representatives of the Church are trying to meet.