The former Lutheran pastor who will relaunch the Catholic ministry in Sweden

the cardinal anders arborelius has commissioned a renowned former Lutheran pastor and now lay Catholic, ulf ekmann, an evangelistic campaign in Sweden. Its task is to spread, parish by parish, the responsibility of each baptized in the apostolic task entrusted to the first Christians. “Every Catholic has one or two friends, in his neighborhood or at work, who may have an interest in the faith. And that is where you have to start », he assures.

ekman He is quite a figure in Sweden. As a Protestant pastor he founded a new charismatic church called Word of Life (Word of Life), which revitalized Christianity in the 1980s and 1990s. Author of numerous books on spirituality and a vibrant preacher, Ulkman’s work spread successfully in many countries of the former Soviet Union.

Word of Life

of the ranks of Word of Life, based in the university city of Uppsala, hundreds of missionaries left to evangelize in Sweden and in Eastern European countries. An activity that Ekman promoted, influencing biblical formation and with an ecumenical spirit. His contact with Catholic charismatics and a deep investigation led him, together with his wife, to discover the Catholic Church.

His entry into the Catholic Church occurred in 2014 and sparked controversy in Sweden. They were leaving behind a success story in the Lutheran world, as well as many friends. But Ekman considered it a duty of conscience. “He was aware of how the Catholic Church had managed to preserve the continuity of the faith since the time of Jesus.”

Apart from his own itinerary to Rome, narrated in his book The great discovery Ekman has just published a book titled Between friends. In this work he defends that personal friendship is the ideal way to transmit the faith. “We’re not going to attract anyone with confrontations and heated debates,” says Ekman. “Basically, it’s about making others appreciate the love of Christ in our liveswhen we walk next to them ».

“Is it a hidden treasure?”

Both Cardinal Arborelius and Ekman they are converts and they have had an excellent relationship since before the latter joined the Catholic Church. In fact, Ekman considers the Swedish cardinal as one of his benchmarks when it comes to appreciating the depth and coherence of Catholicism.

Arborelius has asked Ekman to pass on the ideas he collects in Between friends all over the country. Its objective is “that in each parish we can inspire each one of the faithful to consider themselves an evangelizing potentialbecause we are all witnesses. And a witness is not someone who keeps hidden what he appreciates. We are witnesses of what we have seen and heard and of what has happened in the life of each one of us thanks to the Gospel”.

Ekman considers that there is a great interest among the new generations for spirituality. “They may have less knowledge about the faith. But they are also less prejudiced and curious.” He says that many people in Sweden have questions about Christianity and the Catholic Church. “Is it a hidden treasure? Is there something I’m missing? Even from a secular perspective.”