Former Archbishop: Friendly and Stubborn Pope

Anders Wejryd, former archbishop within the Church of Sweden, met Benedict XVI on a few occasions. He had memorable conversations with the former pope whom he remembers as intellectual, friendly and stubborn.

– He was a true intellectual, a conservative intellectual who was very easy to talk to. Although we had different starting points.

– He was a friendly and stubborn man, says Anders Wejryd.

One of the occasions when Anders Wejryd, who was then an archbishop within the Church of Sweden, and the then Pope Benedict XVI were seen in connection with the Church of Sweden deciding to allow marriage for same-sex couples.

Anders Wejryd then told more about how the Church of Sweden reasoned.

– It was a really memorable and respectful conversation. We had different conclusions but he said: “Yes, you are Lutherans. Then you can reason like that,” says Anders Wejryd and laughs.

TT: How do you react to the news of his passing?

– I knew he was very bad. All our time is limited. Even the Pope’s, says Anders Wejryd.

Former Archbishop Wejryd believes Benedict XVI will be largely remembered for the uniqueness of choosing to leave his post before he died.

– He will be remembered as the one who dared to get off when he was alive. It was a big event. Many believed that it could weaken the papacy. But he did it and it was significant, says Anders Wejryd.

The current Archbishop of the Church of Sweden, Martin Modéus, writes in a post on Facebook that he thinks about and prays for his Catholic friends.

“Our churches have different traditions and our views on certain issues have differed, but Pope Benedict XVI has been of great importance for the rapprochement between Lutherans and Catholics in the last 50 years,” writes Martin Modéus.