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Set against deep red curtains 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 brought the LGBTQ+ community pain, shame and significant harm,” the lead bishop, the church leader, stated during a Thursday event. “This ought not to have occurred and which is the reason I apologise today.”

“Unequal treatment, harassment and discrimination” had caused some to lose their faith, the bishop admitted. A religious service at the cathedral in Oslo was arranged to take place after his statement.

The statement of regret occurred at the London Pub establishment, a bar that was one of two involved in the 2022 violent incident that resulted in two deaths and caused serious injuries to nine throughout the Oslo Pride festivities. A Norwegian of Iranian origin, who swore loyalty to Islamic State, was sentenced to no less than 30 years in prison for carrying out the attacks.

Like many religions around the world, the Church of Norway – a Lutheran evangelical community that is Norway’s largest faith community – historically excluded LGBTQ+ people, refusing to allow them to become pastors or from marrying in religious ceremonies. Back in the 1950s, church leaders described gay people as “a worldwide social threat”.

But as Norwegian society became increasingly liberal, becoming the second in the world to permit registered partnerships for same-sex couples back in 1993 and during 2009 the first Scandinavian country to approve gay marriage, the church slowly followed.

In 2007, the Church of Norway commenced the ordination of gay pastors, and same-sex couples were permitted to have church weddings starting in 2017. During 2023, Tveit joined in the Oslo Pride event in what was noted as a first for the church.

Thursday’s apology elicited a mixed reaction. The leader of an organization representing Norwegian Christian lesbians, Hanne Marie Pedersen-Eriksen, who is also a gay pastor, referred to it as “a significant step toward healing” and a moment that “finally marked the end of a dark chapter in the church’s history”.

According to Stephen Adom, the director of the Norwegian Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the statement was “strong and important” but had come “overdue for individuals who lost their lives to AIDS … with hearts filled with anguish because the church considered the epidemic as divine punishment”.

Internationally, several faith-based organizations have tried to make amends for historical treatment towards LGBTQ+ people. During 2023, the Anglican Church expressed regret for what it described as “shameful” actions, even as it still declines to allow same-sex marriages in church.

Likewise, Ireland's Methodist Church the previous year expressed regret for “inadequate pastoral assistance and care” regarding the LGBTQ+ community and their families, but held fast in its belief that marriage could only be a union between a man and a woman.

Several months ago, Canada's United Church offered an apology to two spirit and LGBTQIA+ communities, characterizing 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 celebrate and delight in the beauty of all creation,” Michael Blair, the church's general secretary, said. “We have wounded people instead of seeking wholeness. We are sorry.”