Is an American the bishop of Greenland? (And other Catholic facts about the island)
It's a good time to learn about the Catholic Church in Greenland.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made headlines this week by saying he wants to take control of Greenland, leaving observers to question the feasibility — and advisability — of such a move.
But — in a (not exactly) stunning turn of events — it turns out that an American might already have an ecclesiastical claim to governance of the world’s fourth largest island, at least symbolically.
In light of that, and given the national conversation about Greenland, at least some of America's ecclesiastical leaders might be aiming to familiarize themselves with the arctic island, and the pastoral situation of the Catholics who live there.
So The Pillar brings you what you want to know: What is the Catholic Church like in Greenland?
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Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The majority of the arctic island is covered in ice year-round.
Greenland has only about 57,000 inhabitants, mostly concentrated along the southern coast.
According to the most recent statistics available from Pew Research Center, some 95% of the population is Protestant - mostly members of the Church of Denmark.
Catholics make up less than 1% of the population, according to those same statistics. Estimates suggest there are roughly 100 Catholics in the entire territory. Many are immigrants from the Philippines, Vietnam, or Denmark.
Today, the island of Greenland is part of the Diocese of Copenhagen. That wasn’t always the case, though.
The Catholic faith was first brought to Greenland in the 11th century. In 1124, the Diocese of Gardar was established in Greenland, the first Catholic diocese in the New World.
In the 15th century, the Norse settlements in Greenland were abandoned. The local diocese ceased to function, and the see was vacant during the centuries that followed.
In the 1800s, Greenland was placed under the short-lived Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole, and then under the Apostolic Prefecture of Copenhagen, which eventually became the Diocese of Copenhagen.
(During the 13 years that the Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole existed, it was led by two prelates; lamentably, neither was named Nicholas.)
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In 2001, Pope John Paul II named auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark of Los Angeles as titular Bishop of Gardar, a titular see the now-retired bishop maintains to this day. While possessing a titular see conveys no actual authority, Clark is nevertheless the only Catholic who can presently boast an appointment to lead a Greenlandic diocese.
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The pastoral needs of Greenland's Catholics today are served by the territory’s sole parish, Christ the King, in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
The church’s website indicates it holds a single Mass each Sunday, typically followed by a dinner. The parish priest, Fr. Tomaž Majcen, OFM Conv., lives 2,000 miles away - at a Franciscan friary in Copenhagen.
Majcen commutes to Nuuk for Mass and spends several weeks in Denmark at different times throughout the year, preparing for sacraments and spending time with the local Catholic community.
He is assisted by other priests who visit periodically, to ensure that Mass is available to the territory’s inhabitants as often as possible.
Despite the sparse number of Catholics, photos on the parish’s Facebook page indicate that 10 children received First Communion at the church last year.
Mass at Christ the King is celebrated in English, which is more commonly spoken by the largely immigrant Catholic community than Greenlandic.
There is also a small Catholic community in the northern town of Ilulissat. A two-hour flight from Nuuk, these Catholics - mostly Filipino immigrants - are unable to access Greenland’s sole church on a regular basis. Instead, they meet to pray regularly in their homes. They receive a visit from a Catholic priest twice a year, the parish says.
Additionally, the northwest coast of Greenland is home to the Pituffik Space Base, a military installation housing members of the U.S. Space Forces and other international partners. In total, there are about 650 people living there.
The base is home to a small chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, and which fits about a dozen people. Military chaplains arrive to the base periodically - often Christmas and Holy Week - to offer sacraments.
If a priest wanted to vacation in greenland, would he be able to stay at the parish rectory for free in exchange for offering the sacraments? 🤔
Monsignor Bernard Bernard is officially my new favorite person.
Looks like he was Apostolic Prefect of the North Pole, and a missionary in Iceland and Norway. He's a Santa Viking Priest. History only has so much room in her annals for those.