‘Providential’: Bishop Hansen on Oslo’s new shrine for persecuted Christians

Hansen received a proposal to establish the shrine in 2025, months after being consecrated Bishop of Oslo, following a Vatican diplomatic career.

A priest was killed in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains the day before Bishop Fredrik Hansen inaugurated a new shrine dedicated to persecuted Christians in Oslo, Norway.

Bishop Fredrik Hansen blesses the icon of Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians, at the Church of St. John in Oslo, Norway, on June 20, 2026. Credit: Marta Wade/Diocese of Oslo.

At first glance, th…