Svalbard commemorates 100 years since first Catholic Mass

A special Catholic Mass was held in Longyearbyen to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Catholic Mass celebrated on Svalbard. The original service took place a century ago in Barentsburg, conducted by Bishop Johannes Olav Smit.

Bishop Erik Varden, Bishop of Trondheim and apostolic administrator of Tromsø, presided over the centenary celebration. The event included representatives from the Church of Norway, highlighting an ecumenical character. The ceremony served to mark a century of Catholic presence and pastoral care in one of the world's most northerly inhabited regions.