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Set against crimson theater drapes at one of Oslo’s most prominent LGBTQ+ spaces, the Norwegian Lutheran Church offered an apology for harm and unequal treatment caused by the church.

“The church in Norway has caused LGBTQ+ people harm, suffering and humiliation,” the lead bishop, Bishop Tveit, stated during a Thursday event. “This ought not to have occurred and this is why today I say sorry.”

“Harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment” resulted in a loss of faith for some, the bishop admitted. A religious service at the cathedral in Oslo was arranged to come after the apology.

The apology took place at the London Pub establishment, one among two bars targeted in the 2022 shooting that took two lives and caused serious injuries to nine during Oslo’s Pride celebrations. A Norwegian of Iranian origin, who swore loyalty to Islamic State, was given a prison term to no less than 30 years in incarceration for carrying out the attacks.

In common with various worldwide religions, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – a Lutheran evangelical community that is the most extensive faith community in the country – for years sidelined LGBTQ+ people, refusing to allow them from serving as pastors or to marry in church. Back in the 1950s, bishops of the church described gay people as “a global-scale societal hazard”.

Yet, with Norwegian society turning more progressive, becoming the second in the world to permit registered partnerships for same-sex couples back in 1993 and during 2009 the first Scandinavian country to legalize same-sex marriage, the church gradually changed.

Back in 2007, the Norwegian Lutheran Church began ordaining LGBTQ+ clergy, and gay and lesbian couples have been able to get married in religious ceremonies since 2017. In 2023, Tveit participated in Oslo’s Pride parade in what was called a historic moment for the religious institution.

The Thursday statement of regret was met with a mixed reaction. The head of a network of Christian lesbians in Norway, Hanne Marie Pedersen-Eriksen, herself a gay pastor, called it “a crucial act of amends” and an occasion that “finally marked the end of a dark chapter in the history of the church”.

According to Stephen Adom, the leader of the Norwegian Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the apology was “strong and important” but had come “overdue for individuals who passed away from AIDS … carrying heavy hearts because the church considered the crisis to be God’s punishment”.

Worldwide, a few churches have sought to offer apologies for their actions concerning the LGBTQ+ community. In 2023, the Anglican Church expressed regret for what it referred to as its “shameful” treatment, even as it continues to refuse to permit gay marriages in religious settings.

Likewise, the Methodist Church located in Ireland last year issued an apology for “shortcomings in pastoral care and support” toward LGBTQ+ individuals and their relatives, but stayed firm in its belief that marriage should only represent a partnership of one man and one woman.

Earlier this year, Canada's United Church issued an apology to Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ groups, labeling it a confirmation of the church's “dedication to welcoming all and full inclusion” in every part of the church's activities.

“We did not manage to celebrate and delight in all of your beautiful creation,” Reverend Blair, the general secretary of the church, remarked. “We have hurt individuals rather than pursuing healing. We apologize.”