Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria attended the Archbishop's Meeting 2012

Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria attended the "Children and Young People - The Archbishop's Meeting 2012" in Uppsala. On Friday 16 November, Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria attended The Archbishop's Meeting 2012. The theme of the meeting, held at Uppsala Concert and Congress Hall, was "Children and Young People".

The Queen and The Crown Princess were met by Archbishop Anders Wejryd, Secretary-General of the Church of Sweden Helén Ottosson Lovén, Lena Olsson-Fogelberg, who is responsible for the "Children and Young People 0-18" programme, and project manager Maria Södling.

The meeting began with an organ piece performed by Alma Faxén, after which the Masters of Ceremonies Morgan Alling and Annika Borg presented the programme for the day. Archbishop Anders Wejryd then gave an introduction and presented The Queen, who gave a speech in which she said: "It is important that we all contribute and do our best when it comes to the needs and rights of young people. Not only for their sake, but also for our own sake. In a society where children do well, everyone does well."

Children's Ombudsman Fredrik Malmberg then showed a film that formed the basis for a discussion between BRIS's Secretary General Kattis Ahlström and Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson on "Children in vulnerable situations — change is possible".

Afterwards, paediatrician Lars H Gustafsson spoke about "Children's right to spiritual development", and writer Ylva Eggerhorn spoke about "Children's right to sanctity".

The Crown Princess then received a copy of the newly published book "En vän från himlen" ("A Friend from Heaven").

The morning concluded with a discussion between Children's Ombudsman Fredrik Malmenerg, Hanna Igelström, project manager for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Johan Berkman, chairman of Church of Sweden Youth, on the theme "Children's rights at the leading edge".

"Children and Young People — The Archbishop's Meeting 2012"
"Children and Young People — The Archbishop's Meeting 2012" was based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which establishes every child's right to life, health and development. The meeting asked how the Church of Sweden can work together with other players within society to promote children's rights. How can we become better at cooperating and finding new paths?

"Children and Young People — The Archbishop's Meeting 2012" had three themes, taken from the Convention on the Rights of the Child. "Children's power and ability" reflects the underlying idea of the convention that the child is the main person in his or her own life. "Children in vulnerable situations" is based on the fact that children's rights are violated through violence, abuse and neglect. The third theme of the meeting was based on the wording of the convention and children's right to spiritual development. What does spiritual development mean? How should the concept be understood in relation to children's right to freedom of thought and religion? To religious criticism? To wellbeing, meaning and hope?