King Frederik attends installation of Aarhus diocese’s new bishop

Denmark’s King Frederik and acting church minister Morten Dahlin were present Sunday as Esben Thusgård was installed as the new bishop of Aarhus diocese in a service at Aarhus Cathedral, state broadcaster DR reports.

The 55-year-old Thusgård succeeds Henrik Wigh-Poulsen, marking the first episcopal installation in Aarhus since 2015. The ceremony included a blessing by the laying on of hands, with Copenhagen bishop Peter Skov-Jakobsen also in attendance.

Thusgård, who delivered his first sermon as bishop during the service, emphasized his commitment to an “open and proactive” national church integrated into daily life in eastern Jutland. “I focus on collaboration so that we become a folk church that is part of everyday life here,” he told DR.

His election in late April required two rounds of voting. In the initial ballot, three candidates failed to secure a majority, narrowing the field to Thusgård and Thomas Frank. Thusgård ultimately won with 1,190 votes to Frank’s 730.

A theology graduate of Aarhus University, Thusgård worked during his studies as a substitute at a shelter run by the church’s social outreach arm, Kirkens Korshær.