Faith communities' action in crises

The discotheque fire in Gothenburg in 1998, in which many young people were killed, is one of many difficult events where faith communities have played a crucial role in crisis management.
Published

Faith communities - regardless of their religion or orientation - play an important role in society when crises occur.

Their experience of bringing people together in difficult times is proving crucial even in our secularised society.

On 1 January 2000, the Church of Sweden was separated from the State. Sweden has also gained a number of new churches and faiths, mainly through immigration.

But this has not diminished the importance of faith communities in dealing with difficult events. Quite the opposite. Faith communities have a unique experience of helping people in crisis.

Faith communities have played an important role and have made significant contributions to a number of events, including:

  • The discotheque fire in Gothenburg in 1998.
  • The bus accident in Måbödalen in Norway in 1988.
  • The shooting in Falun in 1994.
  • The Estonia disaster in 1994.
  • The Scandinavian Star fire in 1990.

All these events created strong feelings of loss and grief, among other things, for many people, for whom the work of faith communities was important.

The information comes from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) and the Board for State Aid to Faith Communities.