Church of Norway apologises for causing LGBTQ+ people "shame, great harm and pain"
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The Church of Norway has formally apologised to the LGBTQ+ community for decades of "shame, great harm and pain". The apology was delivered on Thursday by Presiding Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit at the London Pub in Oslo - a symbolic venue that was targeted in a deadly shooting during the city’s Pride celebrations in 2022.
Speaking on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Tveit acknowledged the church’s long history of marginalising LGBTQ+ individuals, stating: “The Church of Norway has caused LGBTQ+ people shame, great harm and pain. This should never have happened. Therefore, today I say: My sincere apologies.”
The bishop’s remarks were part of a broader effort to confront the church’s past, which included branding gay people in the 1950s as a “global social danger” and denying them roles as pastors or the right to marry within the church. HIV/AIDS was once described by church leaders as “God’s punishment”, a stance that left many grieving and alienated.
The apology follows years of internal reflection and dialogue with LGBTQ+ organisations. In recent years, the Church of Norway has taken steps towards inclusivity, allowing gay pastors since 2007 and officiating same-sex marriages since 2017.
A special service was held at Oslo Cathedral following the apology, marking what many see as the end of a painful chapter. LGBTQ+ advocates welcomed the gesture, though some noted it came too late for those who suffered in silence or died without seeing change.
Stephen Adom, leader of Norway’s Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, said: “This apology is strong and important, but it comes too late for those of us who died of AIDS … with hearts filled with anguish because the church considered the epidemic to be God's punishment.”
Hanne Marie Pedersen-Eriksen, a gay pastor and head of a network of Christian lesbians, described the apology as “an important reparation” and a step towards healing.
The Church of Norway, which represents over 60% of the country’s population, joins other religious institutions such as the Church of England and the United Church of Canada in issuing formal apologies to LGBTQ+ communities.
