The Norwegian Church Issues Sincere Apology to LGBTQ+ Community for ‘Harm, Shame and Suffering’

Against red stage curtains at a well-known Oslo location for LGBTQ+ gatherings, the Norwegian Lutheran Church offered an apology for harm and unequal treatment caused by the church.

“The national church has caused LGBTQ+ people harm, suffering and humiliation,” bishop Olav Fykse Tveit, Olav Fykse Tveit, stated during a Thursday event. “This should never have happened and this is why I apologise today.”

“Harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment” led to a loss of faith for some, Tveit recognized. A religious service at the cathedral in Oslo was scheduled to take place after his statement.

The apology took place at the London Pub establishment, a bar that was one of two targeted in the 2022 shooting that resulted in two deaths and caused serious injuries to nine during Oslo’s Pride celebrations. An individual of Iranian descent living in Norway, who swore loyalty to Islamic State, was sentenced to no less than 30 years in incarceration for carrying out the attacks.

In common with various worldwide religions, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – an evangelical Lutheran church that is the biggest religious group in Norway – historically excluded the LGBTQ+ community, refusing to allow them to become pastors or to have church weddings. Back in the 1950s, the church’s bishops characterized LGBTQ+ persons as “a worldwide social threat”.

But as Norwegian society became increasingly liberal, ranking as the second globally to permit registered partnerships for same-sex couples back in 1993 and in 2009 the first Scandinavian country to allow same-sex marriage, the church slowly followed.

During 2007, Norway's church commenced the ordination of homosexual ministers, and same-sex couples have been able to marry in church starting in 2017. Last year, Tveit participated in the Oslo Pride event in what was described as an unprecedented step for the church.

The Thursday statement of regret elicited varied responses. The leader of an organization for Christian lesbians in Norway, Hanne Marie Pedersen-Eriksen, herself a gay pastor, described it as “an important reparation” and a point in time that “signaled the conclusion of a dark chapter within the church's past”.

According to Stephen Adom, the head of Norway’s Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the statement was “meaningful and vital” but was delivered “too late for those who lost their lives to AIDS … with deep sorrow in their hearts as the church regarded the epidemic as punishment from God”.

Worldwide, a few churches have tried to offer apologies for historical treatment towards LGBTQ+ people. Last year, the Anglican Church expressed regret for what it referred to as its “shameful” treatment, though it continues to refuse to permit gay marriages in church.

In a similar vein, the Methodist Church located in Ireland the previous year apologised for its “failures in pastoral support and care” toward LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, but remained staunch in its conviction that marriage could only be a bond between male and female.

In the early part of this year, the United Church of Canada issued an apology to Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ groups, characterizing it as 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,” Rev Michael Blair, the general secretary of the church, stated. “We have wounded people rather than pursuing healing. We are sorry.”