”Varje egoism är ett brott mot enheten i Kristi hemlighetsfulla kropp”: Romersk-katolsk ecklesiologi i Hemmet och helgedomen perioden 1950 till 1952

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the ecclesiological reflection within the parish magazine of the Roman-Catholic church in Sweden, Hemmet och helgedomen, is formulated in relation to how the same church describes its political-theological context between the period of 1950 to 1952. The main point of departure is the Religious Freedom Act of 1951, an act which raises the question on how the relationship between religious institutions, such as the Roman-Catholic church in Sweden, and society can be defined during this period. A thematic analysis of the material is conducted from two different ecclesiological positions: a model-based respectively contextualized ecclesiology. The theoretical position of postsecularity is formulated in relation to the notion of a diaspora-ecclesiology. The result shows that as institution, mystical body of Christ and as sacrament the Roman-Catholic church in Sweden defines itself in relation to its political-theological context as both counter-culture and diaspora-church: as such it formulates an ontological and ethical vision that are embodied as a contrast to the dechristianization of its contemporary industrial society and at the same time creates new preconditions of its inter-ecclesial relations. In conclusion, this contextualized ecclesiology shows how the intersection of theology and politics can be understood during the early postwar period in Sweden.