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In 1973 she became the first woman in Denmark to obtain a theological doctorate based on her dissertation Helligånden sendt til verden (The Holy Spirit sent to the world). After completion of the dissertation, she lectured in many places in the world—Europe, the US, India, Africa, and Latin America.
Her ecumenical engagement included being one of the initiators of The Ecumenical Centre in Aarhus in 1966, and in 1968 she was a delegate from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark to the World Council of Churches (WCC) 4th Assembly in Uppsala, Sweden. From 1970-1977 she was part of the Theology Commission in the Lutheran World Federation, and also took part in the Lutheran World Federation General Assembly in 1977 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. There, she was part of forming the Women’s Desk. In the 1970s she took part in forming the Ecumenical Women’s Group in Aarhus, Denmark.
In 1991 she was elected WCC president from Europe, and during this time she was engaged with the dialogue with the Orthodox Churches as well as themes dividing the churches such as ethics. From 1992-1998 she was the chair of the National Council of Churches in Denmark (Det Økumeniske Fællesråd). Since then, she was also engaged in Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Israel.
She passed away a few days before she was to receive an honorary ecumenical award in Denmark for her extensive contribution to ecumenical work. She was glad to learn that she had been awarded. It will be presented posthumously and received by a family member during the Danish Church Days in Silkeborg, an ecumenical festival held every three years in Denmark during the Ascension Days, which she with many others took part in creating in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
