Rosemarie Köhn (20 October 1939 – 30 October 2022) was a bishop of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

, holding that position in the

Diocese of Hamar The Diocese of Hamar () is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. Administratively, the diocese is divided into 1 ...

from 20 May 1993 to 1 November 2006.

Biography

Köhn was born to a German father and Norwegian mother and immigrated to Norway in 1946. She graduated from the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

with a degree in theology ( candidata theologiæ) in 1966. Köhn worked as an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

in Biblical Theology at the University of Oslo from 1976 to 1989, and principal of the Practical-Theological Seminary from 1989 to 1993. Köhn was the first lesbian priest before she became the bishop

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

in Norway. In 1993, she was appointed bishop of the

, making her the first woman to hold the position of bishop in the Church of Norway. She stepped down from office on 1 November 2006 and was succeeded by

Solveig Fiske Solveig Margrete Fiske (born 26 October 1952) is a theologian and bishop emerita in the Church of Norway, serving as the bishop of Hamar between 2006 and 2022, when she retired. Originally from Frei Municipality in Møre og Romsdal, she graduate ...

. In 2004, in recognition of her work for the church, she was appointed a Commander of the Royal Norwegian

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

King Harald V Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991. A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the line of succ ...

. Köhn was married to Susanne Sønderbo. Köhn died after a long-term illness on 30 October 2022, at the age of 83.

References

1939 births 2022 deaths People from Rathenow People from the Province of Brandenburg German emigrants to Norway Bishops of Hamar Women Lutheran bishops 20th-century Lutheran bishops 21st-century Norwegian Lutheran bishops Norwegian women academics University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Order of Saint Olav 20th-century Norwegian LGBTQ people LGBTQ Lutheran bishops 21st-century Norwegian LGBTQ people {{LGBTQ-bio-stub