Norwegian Catholic Church raided
Church accused of falsely listing immigrants as members to get state funding.
Investigators raided Norwegian Catholic Church offices in Oslo over allegations the diocese inflated membership figures to boost state funding. The raid took place Thursday, after Bishop Bernt Eidsvig and the church’s financial manager were charged with fraud of up to $6.6 million. The Church previously denied any wrongdoing.
A local paper reported the diocese had listed immigrants from Catholic countries as members, without their consent. Norwegian religious institutions receive government funding based on their registered members.
Twitter users criticised the diocese and its alleged fraud:
Published On 26 Feb 2015