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Against red stage curtains at a well-known Oslo location for LGBTQ+ gatherings, the Church of Norway issued a formal apology for discrimination and harm caused by the church.

“The national church has inflicted LGBTQ+ people pain, shame and significant harm,” the lead bishop, Olav Fykse Tveit, declared on Thursday. “This ought not to have occurred and this is why today I say sorry.”

“Harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment” led to a loss of faith for some, the bishop admitted. A religious service at Oslo's main cathedral was planned to take place after his statement.

This formal apology was delivered at the London Pub, one among two bars attacked during the 2022 shooting that resulted in two deaths and left nine seriously injured during Oslo’s Pride celebrations. An individual of Iranian descent living in Norway, who expressed support for ISIS, was sentenced to a minimum of three decades in prison for the murders.

Like many religions around the world, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – a Lutheran evangelical community that is Norway’s largest faith community – for years sidelined the LGBTQ+ community, refusing to allow them to become pastors or from marrying in religious ceremonies. In the 1950s, church leaders characterized LGBTQ+ persons as “a global-scale societal hazard”.

Yet, with Norwegian society turning more progressive, ranking as the second globally to permit registered partnerships for same-sex couples back in 1993 and in 2009 the first in Scandinavia to approve gay marriage, the church slowly followed.

Back in 2007, the Church of Norway commenced the ordination of gay pastors, and gay and lesbian couples could have church weddings from 2017 onward. Last year, the bishop took part in Oslo’s Pride parade in what was described as a first for the church.

Thursday’s apology was met with varied responses. The leader of an organization representing Norwegian Christian lesbians, Hanne Marie, a lesbian minister herself, referred to it as “a crucial act of amends” and a point in time that “finally marked the end of a dark chapter in the history of the church”.

For Stephen Adom, the head of Norway’s Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the statement was “meaningful and vital” but was delivered “overdue for individuals who lost their lives to AIDS … with deep sorrow in their hearts since the church viewed the disease as divine punishment”.

Internationally, a few churches have attempted to make amends for historical treatment concerning the LGBTQ+ community. During 2023, the Anglican Church expressed regret for what it described as “disgraceful” conduct, though it continues to refuse to permit gay marriages within the church.

Likewise, Ireland's Methodist Church last year apologised for “inadequate pastoral assistance and care” toward LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, but stayed firm in its belief that marriage could only be a partnership of one man and one woman.

Several months ago, the United Church of Canada issued an apology toward Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ individuals, describing it as a confirmation of the church's “dedication to welcoming all and full inclusion” throughout every area of church life.

“We have not succeeded to rejoice and take pleasure in all of your beautiful creation,” Reverend Blair, the church's general secretary, said. “We caused pain to people instead of seeking wholeness. We are sorry.”