Description:
On 30 September 1940, complying with an order from the German occupiers, the bishops of the Norwegian state church removed the prayer for the king from the prayer of the church of the state church’s Sunday service liturgy. In hindsight, doubts have been cast on the legitimacy of the removal, and its accordance with the bishops’ oath of office. Various considerations have been suggested as the motivation of the bishops’ leader, Eivind Berggrav. This article concludes that the bishops acted legitimately and in accordance with their oath, and that Berggrav was motivated mainly by resistance to the occupation. He assessed the removal as a necessary compromise in his long-term strategy to strengthen the church’s role in the resistance.