Editing Norway (section)

==== Church of Norway ====
[[File:Wikipedia 8733.JPG|thumb|[[Nidaros Cathedral]] in [[Trondheim]]]]
[[Separation of church and state#Norway|Separation of church and state]] happened significantly later in Norway than in most of Europe, and remains incomplete. In 2012, the Norwegian parliament voted to grant the [[Church of Norway]] greater autonomy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digitaljournal.com/article/324906 |work=Digital Journal |title=Norway abolishes state-sponsored Church of Norway |last1=Fraser |first1=Sean |date=15 May 2012 |access-date=20 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614144414/http://digitaljournal.com/article/324906 |archive-date=14 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a decision which was confirmed in a constitutional amendment on 21 May 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://religionnews.com/2017/01/05/norway-and-its-national-church-part-ways/ |title=Norway and its national church part ways |date=5 January 2017 |access-date=5 January 2017 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401081739/https://religionnews.com/2017/01/05/norway-and-its-national-church-part-ways/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Until 2012 parliamentary officials were required to be members of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Norway, and at least half of all government ministers had to be a member of the state church. As state church, the Church of Norway's clergy were viewed as state employees, and the central and regional church administrations were part of the state administration. Members of the Royal family are required to be members of the Lutheran church. On 1 January 2017, Norway made the church independent of the state, but retained the Church's status as the "people's church".<ref>[https://kirken.no/nb-NO/om-kirken/slik-styres-kirken/kirkeordning/ny-kirkeordning-2020/ På vei mot ny kirkeordning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213091126/https://kirken.no/nb-NO/om-kirken/slik-styres-kirken/kirkeordning/ny-kirkeordning-2020/ |date=13 December 2017 }} Den Norske Kirke. Retrieved 12 December 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/6-january/news/world/norwegian-church-passes-milestone-in-modification-of-its-links-with-state Norwegian Church passes milestone in modification of its links with State] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213090705/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/6-january/news/world/norwegian-church-passes-milestone-in-modification-of-its-links-with-state |date=13 December 2017 }} ''Church Times'', 6 January 2017.</ref>

Most Norwegians are registered at baptism as members of the Church of Norway. Many remain in the church to participate in the community and practices such as [[baptism]], [[confirmation]], marriage, and burial rites. About 61.7% of Norwegians were members of the Church of Norway in 2024. In the same year, approximately 50.4% of all newborns were baptised and about 47.6% of all 15-year-olds were [[Confirmation (Lutheran Church)|confirmed]] in the church.<ref>[https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/religion-og-livssyn/statistikk/den-norske-kirke Den norske kirke] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125173428/http://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/kirke_kostra/aar|date=25 November 2017}} 17 March 2025 ''Statistics Norway''</ref>