Lesbian up for Swedish archbishop post

The lesbian sister of the head of the Lutheran Church of Sweden is among five candidates vying to succeed him in an election Wednesday in Stockholm. Archbishop Karl Gustav Hammar is stepping down from the post this year after nine years.

His sister, Anna Karin Hammar, a minister who lives with her partner, is one of three ministers vying for the job. Two bishops are also running for the post.

Leaders of the church's 13 parishes are eligible to vote. If none of the candidates wins a majority of the roughly 320 votes, a runoff will be held March 30 between the two top finishers.

The Lutheran Church of Sweden lost its status as a state church in 2000 but is still by far the largest religious institution in the Scandinavian country. Archbishop Hammar has drawn the ire of conservative factions within the church because of his liberal views on homosexuality and his statements that God does not interfere in people's everyday lives.

The church assembly decided last year to allow the blessing of unions of gay partners in special church ceremonies, though those unions are not recognized as traditional weddings. The issue had been debated since the secularized Scandinavian country legalized civil unions for gay couples in 1994. (AP)

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