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Amid red stage curtains at a well-known Oslo location for LGBTQ+ gatherings, the Church of Norway expressed regret for harm and unequal treatment caused by the church.

“The church in Norway has brought the LGBTQ+ community pain, shame and significant harm,” the presiding bishop, Bishop Tveit, announced during a Thursday event. “This ought not to have occurred and which is the reason I apologise today.”

“Unequal treatment, harassment and discrimination” resulted in a loss of faith for some, Tveit acknowledged. A worship service at the cathedral in Oslo was arranged to take place after his statement.

The apology took place at a venue called London Pub, one of two bars involved in the 2022 violent incident that killed two people and left nine seriously injured during Oslo’s Pride celebrations. A Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, who swore loyalty to Islamic State, was given a prison term to a minimum of three decades behind bars for the murders.

In common with various worldwide religions, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – a Protestant Lutheran denomination that is the biggest religious group in Norway – had long marginalised the LGBTQ+ community, preventing them from joining the clergy or from marrying in religious ceremonies. During the 1950s, church leaders characterized LGBTQ+ persons as “a worldwide social threat”.

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

In 2007, the Church of Norway began ordaining homosexual ministers, and gay and lesbian couples could get married in religious ceremonies from 2017 onward. In 2023, Tveit participated in Oslo’s Pride parade in what was described as a historic moment for the religious institution.

The apology on Thursday was met with varied responses. The director of a group representing Norwegian Christian lesbians, Hanne Marie, herself a gay pastor, called it “a crucial act of amends” and an occasion that “finally marked the end of a dark chapter in the history of the church”.

For Stephen Adom, the director of Norway’s Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the statement was “strong and important” but was delivered “overdue for individuals among us who died of Aids … with deep sorrow in their hearts because the church considered the disease as punishment from God”.

Globally, several faith-based organizations have attempted to offer apologies for historical treatment concerning the LGBTQ+ community. Last year, the Anglican Church said sorry for what it described as “shameful” actions, although it still declines to allow same-sex marriages in religious settings.

Similarly, Ireland's Methodist Church last year apologised for “shortcomings in pastoral care and support” toward LGBTQ+ individuals and family members, but stayed firm in its conviction that marriage should only represent a partnership of one man and one woman.

Earlier this year, Canada's United Church delivered a statement of regret toward Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ individuals, describing it as a renewed commitment of its “pledge to complete acceptance and open hospitality” in every part of the church's activities.

“We did not manage to honor and appreciate the beauty of all creation,” Michael Blair, the church's general secretary, said. “We have hurt individuals rather than pursuing healing. We express our regret.”