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Against crimson theater drapes at a well-known Oslo location for LGBTQ+ gatherings, the Norwegian Lutheran Church offered an apology for discrimination and harm caused by the church.

“Norway's church has inflicted LGBTQ+ individuals harm, suffering and humiliation,” the lead bishop, Bishop Tveit, declared during a Thursday event. “It was wrong for this to take place and this is why today I say sorry.”

The “discrimination, unequal treatment and harassment” led to a loss of faith for some, Tveit recognized. A worship service at Oslo's main cathedral was scheduled to take place after his statement.

The statement of regret took place at the London Pub establishment, one of two bars attacked during the 2022 violent incident that resulted in two deaths and caused serious injuries to nine during Oslo’s Pride celebrations. A Norwegian of Iranian origin, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was sentenced to a minimum of three decades behind bars for the killings.

In common with various worldwide religions, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – a Lutheran evangelical community that is Norway’s largest faith community – for years sidelined the LGBTQ+ community, preventing them from serving as pastors or to marry in church. In the 1950s, the church’s bishops referred to homosexual individuals as “a global-scale societal hazard”.

However, as Norway's society grew more liberal, ranking as the second globally to allow same-sex registered partnerships during 1993 and during 2009 the initial Nordic nation to approve gay marriage, the religious institution eventually adapted.

Back in 2007, the Church of Norway commenced the ordination of gay pastors, and gay and lesbian couples could marry in church starting in 2017. During 2023, Tveit joined in the Pride march in Oslo in what was called an unprecedented step for the church.

The Thursday statement of regret received differing opinions. The director of a group representing Norwegian Christian lesbians, Pedersen-Eriksen, who is also a gay pastor, described it as “a significant step toward healing” and a moment that “finally marked the end of a dark chapter within the church's past”.

For Stephen Adom, the leader of the Norwegian Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the apology was “powerful and significant” but arrived “not in time for those among us who died of Aids … carrying heavy hearts as the church regarded the crisis as divine punishment”.

Internationally, a few churches have sought to make amends for their past behavior regarding LGBTQ+ individuals. In 2023, the Anglican Church expressed regret for what it described as “disgraceful” conduct, although it still declines to authorize same-sex weddings in religious settings.

In a similar vein, Ireland's Methodist Church last year apologised for its “failures in pastoral support and care” regarding the LGBTQ+ community and their relatives, but stayed firm in its conviction that marriage could only be a union between a man and a woman.

Earlier this year, the United Church based in Canada offered an apology to two spirit and LGBTQIA+ communities, describing it as a confirmation of the church's “dedication to welcoming all and full inclusion” throughout every area of church life.

“We have failed to rejoice and take pleasure in all of your beautiful creation,” Rev Michael Blair, the church's general secretary, said. “We have hurt individuals instead of seeking wholeness. We express our regret.”