With a draft bill, Denmark’s Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs wants to tighten up the demands for giving residence permits to foreign preachers in religious congregations, the Church News from Denmark, reports.
Denmark currently has 675 foreign preachers affiliated either to Christian congregations, to the Muslim communities as imams or as missionaries to the Mormon church. There are also a few foreign priests and nuns related to the Roman Catholic Church, according to Church News from Denmark, the information service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (ELCD).
According to the bill, a condition for obtaining a residence permit would include that the foreigner has familiarized himself/herself with Danish language and respects human rights, especially freedom of religion and faith, and the right to change religion.
An expert in religion and law, Lisbet Christoffersen told the Danish newspaper, the Christian Daily that “it is a fundamental part of religious freedom that a congregation is allowed to call its own preachers. A law demanding a Danish language test is, therefore, a move against full religious freedom because then you can only call persons who pass the test.”
Over 80 percent of Denmark’s population of 5 million people belong to the ELCD. The leader of the Churches’ Integration Service, Hans Henrik Lund, said to The Christian Daily that this proposal will be reintroduced.
The Minister of Refugees, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Rikke Hvilshoej, was reported saying that “when we give residence permits we would like to make sure that foreigners—not least those who come here as preachers in order to influence and move other people—know something about Danish society and the Danish language.” As examples she mentioned the democratic principles, individual freedom and integrity, equality between men and women, practical knowledge on the education of children, and the parental responsibility for children. It is not demanded that preachers speak fluent Danish. (319 words)
(Church News from Denmark)
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