Ragnhildur Ásgeirsdóttir, Executive Director of the Bishopric appointed her superior, Bishop Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, to serve as a bishop temporarily for 28 months, reports Morgunblaðið. However, the reappointment was made without knowledge of the synod, calling its legality into question.
Drífa Hjartardóttir, President of the Church Assembly, stated to Morgunblaðið that “it is strange for a subordinate to make an employment contract with their superior, as in this case. Neither the Church Assembly nor its executive committee were aware of the agreement.”
“I heard about the existence of this contract last week,” she stated further. “I had no idea about it before. I find it very strange that a subordinate can make an employment contract with their superior. We were never informed about this, neither the executive committee of the Church Assembly nor the Church Assembly itself. This came as a big surprise to me, and it’s very unusual.”
Agnes Sigurðardóttir was appointed as a bishop by the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson on July 1, 2012, for five years, and her appointment period was then extended for another five years on July 1, 2017.
The Church Assembly changed the rules regarding the bishop’s election last year. The term is now six years, but this extension did not automatically apply to the current appointment.
As it stood, Agnes’ appointment period should have ended on July 1, 2022. She is now set to hold office until October 31, 2024, though the possibility remains that her appointment may be legally challenged.
