A church meeting in Stockholm turned chaotic when dozens of congregants demanded resignations following corruption revelations. Approximately thirty parish members attended what was supposed to be a routine election of church leadership. Instead, the gathering became an angry question-and-answer session with elected officials.
One man who grabbed the microphone declared the situation reeked of friendship corruption. Another shouted that officials lacked the decency to resign. The outburst followed investigative reports revealing church politicians in St. Johannes parish had engaged in self-dealing property transactions.
Church politicians made decisions that severely weakened the parish's finances. This financial strain forced the sale of the cathedral-like St. Johannes Church to the Catholic diocese for five million kronor. The bishop later joined calls for leading politicians to step down.
Investigators uncovered questionable parking space arrangements at the heart of the controversy. When St. Johannes Church was sold, politicians reserved ten attractive parking spots for themselves. The church minister refused to sign the new parking rental contracts, so two leading politicians signed on the parish's behalf instead. This meant they acted as both landlord and tenant in the same transaction.
Gunilla Svensson Pilefors, outgoing chair of the church council, defended the arrangement. She stated their assisting lawyer had approved the setup. Hans von Schreeb, former chair of the church council, had resigned after the initial investigative report but has now returned as a member of the newly elected church council.
The political landscape within the church council has shifted dramatically. Social Democrats now control all leadership positions. Ellinor Eriksson was elected chair and announced the new leadership will appoint an investigation to examine the previous property deals.
Eriksson stated the priority now is conducting a thorough review of what happened. When asked about former officials remaining in positions, she called it a matter of individual conscience.
The property dealings span more than a decade. In 2009, the church sold an apartment building on Kammakargatan for 58 million kronor. Politicians Gunilla Svensson Pilefors and Hans von Schreeb voted for the sale despite living in the building. She purchased her apartment, while he bought the 344-square-meter attic space years later.
Money designated for church maintenance was instead used to build an exclusive parish hall beneath the church stairs in 2014. The Johannessalen hall was projected to generate half a million kronor annually but became a financial loss.
In 2023, the church sold another apartment building on Frejgatan for 84 million kronor to finance tower renovations. The parish now rents part of the same building back for over one million kronor yearly.
The most recent controversy involves politicians attempting to retain the expensive parish hall by subdividing the property before the church sale. They spent over one million kronor on consultant and legal fees for this effort.
Hans von Schreeb previously claimed in email statements that he neither exploited his position nor gained financially from the property deals. Gunilla Svensson Pilefors stated she didn't participate in voting on the sale of the building where she lived, though meeting minutes show she voted in favor.
This case highlights ongoing challenges in Swedish religious institution governance. Church elections operate similarly to municipal politics but with less public scrutiny. The self-dealing allegations raise questions about oversight mechanisms within religious organizations that manage substantial property portfolios.
International observers might find the situation particularly noteworthy given Sweden's reputation for transparent governance. The case demonstrates how local institutions can develop problematic practices despite national standards of accountability. The new investigation's findings could influence how religious properties are managed across Sweden.
Church property management remains a sensitive issue in Scandinavia, where historic religious buildings represent both cultural heritage and significant financial assets. The outcome of this investigation may set precedents for how similar institutions handle conflicts of interest in the future.