Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs (Denmark)

Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs of Denmark (Danish: kirkeminister, lit. Minister for the Church) is a Danish political minister office. The main responsibility of the minister is the Church of Denmark. The minister is politically appointed without any requirements being a member of the state church.^[1]

Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs
Kirkeminister
State Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Denmark
Incumbent Morten Dahlin since 23 November 2023
Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs
Member of	the Folketing
Appointer	Prime Minister
Term length	4 years
Precursor	Kultus Minister
Formation	28 April 1916; 109 years ago (1916-04-28)
First holder	Thorvald. V. Povlsen

The office was created in 1916 when the post Kultus Minister was split up into the posts of Education Minister and Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs. The new Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs also took over the responsibility for culture from the Kultus Minister. In 1961 responsibility for culture was transferred to the Minister for Cultural Affairs.

Since 23 November 2023, Morten Dahlin from Venstre, holds the post in the Second Frederiksen Cabinet.

List of ministers

No.	Portrait	Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Party	Cabinet
1		Povlsen, ThorvaldThorvald Povlsen [da] (1868–1942)	28 April 1916	30 March 1920	3 years, 337 days	Social Liberals	Zahle II Cabinet
2		Hass, HeinrichH. Edvard Hass [da] (1866–1946)	30 March 1920	5 April 1920	6 days	Independent	Liebe Cabinet
3		Ammentorp, EmilEmil Ammentorp [da] (1862–1947)	5 April 1920	5 May 1920	30 days	Independent	Friis Cabinet
4		Christensen, Jens ChristianJens Christian Christensen (1856–1930)	5 May 1920	15 August 1922	2 years, 102 days	Venstre	Neergaard II Cabinet
5		Appel, JacobJacob Appel [da] (1866–1931)	15 August 1922	23 April 1924	1 year, 252 days	Venstre	Neergaard II Cabinet–III
6		Dahl, NielsNiels Peter Lorentsen Dahl [da] (1869–1936)	23 April 1924	14 December 1926	2 years, 235 days	Social Democrats	Stauning I Cabinet
7		Bruun, FritzFritz Bruun-Rasmussen [da] (1870–1964)	14 December 1926	30 April 1929	2 years, 137 days	Venstre	Madsen-Mygdal Cabinet
(6)		Dahl, NielsNiels Peter Lorentsen Dahl [da] (1869–1936)	30 April 1929	4 November 1935	6 years, 188 days	Social Democrats	Stauning II Cabinet
8		Hansen, JohannesJohannes Hansen [da] (1881–1953)	4 November 1935	8 July 1940	4 years, 247 days	Social Democrats	Stauning III Cabinet–IV–V
9		Fibiger, VilhelmVilhelm Fibiger [da] (1886–1978)	8 July 1940	9 November 1942	2 years, 124 days	Conservatives	Stauning VI Cabinet Buhl I Cabinet
10		Holbøll, ValdemarValdemar Holbøll [da] (1871–1954)	9 November 1942	29 August 1943[a]	293 days	Independent	Scavenius Cabinet
No Danish government in between 29 August 1943 (1943-08-29) and 5 May 1945 (1945-05-05). Office is assumed by the permanent secretary.[a]
11		Sørensen, ArneArne Sørensen (1906–1978)	5 May 1945	7 November 1945	186 days	Danish Unity	Buhl II Cabinet
–		Hartling, MadsMads Rasmussen Hartling [da] (1885–1960) Acting	7 November 1945	12 November 1945	5 days	Venstre	Kristensen Cabinet
12		Hermansen, CarlCarl Martin Hermansen [da] (1897–1976)	12 November 1945	13 November 1947	2 years, 1 day	Venstre	Kristensen Cabinet
13		Nielsen, FredeFrede Nielsen [da] (1891–1954)	13 November 1947	16 September 1950	2 years, 307 days	Social Democrats	Hedtoft I Cabinet
14		Koch, BodilBodil Koch (1903–1972)	16 September 1950	30 October 1950	44 days	Social Democrats	Hedtoft I Cabinet
15		Sønderup, JensJens Sønderup (1897–1976)	30 October 1950	13 September 1951	318 days	Venstre	Eriksen Cabinet
(12)		Hermansen, CarlCarl Martin Hermansen [da] (1897–1976)	13 September 1951	30 September 1953	2 years, 17 days	Venstre	Eriksen Cabinet
(14)		Koch, BodilBodil Koch (1903–1972)	30 September 1953	28 November 1966	13 years, 59 days	Social Democrats	Hedtoft II Cabinet Hansen I Cabinet–II Kampmann I Cabinet–II Krag I Cabinet
16		Møller, OrlaOrla Møller (1916–1979)	28 November 1966	2 February 1968	1 year, 66 days	Social Democrats	Krag II Cabinet
17		Pedersen, ArneArne Fog Pedersen [da] (1911–1984)	2 February 1968	11 October 1971	3 years, 251 days	Venstre	Baunsgaard Cabinet
18		Bennedsen, DorteDorte Bennedsen (1938–2016)	11 October 1971	19 December 1973	2 years, 69 days	Social Democrats	Krag III Cabinet Jørgensen I Cabinet
19		Damsgaard, KrestenKresten Damsgaard [da] (1903–1992)	19 December 1973	13 February 1975	1 year, 56 days	Venstre	Hartling Cabinet
20		Hansen, JørgenJørgen Peder Hansen (1923–1994)	13 February 1975	30 August 1978	3 years, 198 days	Social Democrats	Jørgensen II Cabinet
21		Jensen, EgonEgon Jensen (1922–1985)	30 August 1978	26 October 1979	1 year, 57 days	Social Democrats	Jørgensen III Cabinet
(20)		Hansen, JørgenJørgen Peder Hansen (1923–1994)	26 October 1979	20 January 1981	1 year, 86 days	Social Democrats	Jørgensen IV Cabinet
22		Larsen, ToveTove Lindbo Larsen (1928–2018)	20 January 1981	10 September 1982	1 year, 233 days	Social Democrats	Jørgensen IV Cabinet–V
23		Koch, ElsebethElsebeth Kock-Petersen (born 1949)	10 September 1982	23 July 1984	1 year, 317 days	Venstre	Schlüter I Cabinet
24		Madsen, MetteMette Madsen (1924–2015)	23 July 1984	3 June 1988	3 years, 316 days	Venstre	Schlüter I Cabinet–II
25		Rechendorff, TorbenTorben Rechendorff (1937–2022)	3 June 1988	25 January 1993	4 years, 236 days	Conservatives	Schlüter III Cabinet–IV
26		Andersen, ArneArne O. Andersen [da] (born 1939)	25 January 1993	27 September 1994	1 year, 245 days	Centre Democrats	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen I Cabinet
27		Weiss, BirteBirte Weiss (born 1941)	27 September 1994	30 December 1996	2 years, 94 days	Social Democrats	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen II Cabinet
28		Jensen, OleOle Vig Jensen [da] (1936–2016)	30 December 1996	23 March 1998	1 year, 83 days	Social Liberals	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen III Cabinet
29		Vestager, MargretheMargrethe Vestager (born 1968)	23 March 1998	21 December 2000	2 years, 273 days	Social Liberals	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen IV Cabinet
30		Lebech, JohannesJohannes Lebech (born 1967)	21 December 2000	27 November 2001	341 days	Social Liberals	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen IV Cabinet
31		Tove Fergo (1946–2015)	27 November 2001	18 February 2005	3 years, 83 days	Venstre	Anders Fogh Rasmussen I Cabinet
32		Bertel Haarder (born 1944)	18 February 2005	23 November 2007	2 years, 278 days	Venstre	Anders Fogh Rasmussen II Cabinet
33		Birthe Rønn Hornbech (born 1943)	23 November 2007	8 March 2011	3 years, 105 days	Venstre	Anders Fogh Rasmussen III Cabinet Lars Løkke Rasmussen I Cabinet
34		Per Stig Møller (born 1942)	23 February 2010	3 October 2011	1 year, 222 days	Conservatives	Lars Løkke Rasmussen I Cabinet
35		Manu Sareen (born 1967)	3 October 2011	6 December 2012	1 year, 64 days	Social Liberals	Thorning-Schmidt I Cabinet
36		Marianne Jelved (born 1943)	6 December 2012	28 June 2015	2 years, 204 days	Social Liberals	Thorning-Schmidt I Cabinet–II
(32)		Bertel Haarder (born 1944)	28 June 2015	28 November 2016	1 year, 153 days	Venstre	Lars Løkke Rasmussen II Cabinet
37		Mette Bock (born 1957)	28 November 2016	27 June 2019	2 years, 211 days	Liberal Alliance	Lars Løkke Rasmussen III Cabinet
38		Mogensen, JoyJoy Mogensen (born 1980)	27 June 2019	16 August 2021	2 years, 50 days	Social Democrats	Frederiksen I Cabinet
39		Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen (born 1983)	16 August 2021	15 December 2022	1 year, 121 days	Social Democrats	Frederiksen I Cabinet
40		Louise Schack Elholm (born 1977)	15 December 2022	23 November 2023	343 days	Venstre	Frederiksen II Cabinet
41		Morten Dahlin (born 1989)	23 November 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 262 days	Venstre	Frederiksen II Cabinet

Notes

1. On 29 August 1943, the Danish government resigned, refusing to grant further concessions to Nazi Germany. All government operations were assumed by the permanent secretaries of the individual departments, and this arrangement lasted until the Liberation of Denmark on 5 May 1945. Since King Christian X never accepted the resignation of the government, it existed de jure until a new cabinet was formed on 5 May 1945.