Oslo, Norway - Norway has entered a debate on separating church and state after 469 years of Lutheranism as its official religion.
Under the current system, the church is funded by the central government, which employs bishops and clergy. This has led to conflicts, such as the state's 2000 appointment of a pastor in a gay relationship to meet secular anti-discrimination laws, overriding church teaching.
Now a 20-member State-Church panel has recommended separation. The earliest a divorce could occur is 2014 because this requires a constitutional amendment approved by two successive parliaments.
Eighteen of the 20 panel members recommended ending the state church system, with 14 saying the church should retain special status while four said all faiths should be treated equally.
About 86 percent of the 4.6 million Norwegians were registered as Church of Norway members at birth. They continue on the rolls unless they request removal, so that figure does not tell how many are devout or even sporadic churchgoers.
"The government's goal is to have an open and inclusive people's church," Minister of Culture and Churches Trond Gidske said in accepting the report. He said every congregation and city would be asked to comment on the report.
Denmark has a similar Lutheran state church. Sweden ended its Lutheran state church system in 2000.