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# Church of Norway apologises for causing LGBTQ+ people "shame, great harm and pain"
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/church-of-norway-apologises-for-causing-lgbtq-people-shame-great-harm-and-pain/
- Published: 2025-10-17T10:55:05.000Z
- Updated: 2025-10-17T10:55:05.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: Europe

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.