Ban on fathers walking brides down the aisle?
A proposal in the run-up to the autumn meeting of the Swedish Church has caused a commotion: members of the Church have called for the tradition of the father leading the bride down the aisle to be banned on the grounds that it stems from a patriarchal system which is no longer in keeping with modern society. Commentators say the issue raises legitimate questions, but call for balanced responses.
No to bans but yes to change
Kristeligt Dagblad is against a ban but welcomes the discussion:
“Yes, the Swedes are on the wrong track with their proposed ban, and such a ban is out of place on Danish soil. But that doesn't mean you can't take a more nuanced view of a beloved tradition that a surprising number of modern, egalitarian, secular and religious Danes still value, and remember that it's perfectly fine if the main roles at a wedding aren't played by just one woman alongside four men. So no to bans, but thanks for the input from 'beyond'.”
True pluralism also allows for conservatism
Göteborgs-Posten sees the proposal as typical of the prevailing wokism:
“This whole debacle is symptomatic of the pseudo-pluralism of our time. Diversity is all very well as long as it is a diversity of progressive and norm-critical phenomena and approaches. Conservative connotations, on the other hand, are automatically seen as ugly and dangerous. According to this [pseudo-pluralist] view, the broad popular church should only be broad in one direction.”