Bishop-elect Brunne will face more than the usual challenges, and more than the usual scrutiny. Her church is in the process of deciding what position to take on the matter of same-sex marriage, which is already recognized by the civil authority. The bishop herself lives with another woman, the Rev. Gunilla Linden. They have a three-year-old son. According to the French news report linked above, their union "has been blessed by the Church."
There will be questions beyond the strict confines of the Swedish church. Brunne is the first lesbian known to hold a position of such authority in any church body. It is hard to know what impact her election will have on her church's ecumenical partners -- or, of particular concern to us, on the Lutheran World Federation.
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