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Against red stage curtains at a well-known Oslo location for LGBTQ+ gatherings, the Norwegian Lutheran Church issued a formal apology for harm and unequal treatment caused by the church.

“Norway's church has caused the LGBTQ+ community shame, great harm and pain,” the presiding bishop, the church leader, stated during a Thursday event. “This ought not to have occurred and this is why I offer my apology now.”

“Harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment” led to a loss of faith for some, the bishop admitted. A religious service at Oslo Cathedral was planned to come after the apology.

This formal apology occurred at the London Pub establishment, one of two bars targeted in the 2022 attack that resulted in two deaths and injured nine people severely throughout the Oslo Pride festivities. An individual of Iranian descent living in Norway, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, received a sentence to at least 30 years in incarceration for the murders.

In common with various worldwide religions, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – an evangelical Lutheran church that is the most extensive faith community in the country – for years sidelined the LGBTQ+ community, denying them the opportunity from serving as pastors or to marry in church. During the 1950s, bishops of the church referred to homosexual individuals as “a worldwide social threat”.

However, as Norway's society grew more liberal, becoming the second in the world to permit registered partnerships for same-sex couples during 1993 and in 2009 the first Scandinavian country to allow same-sex marriage, the religious institution eventually adapted.

Back in 2007, Norway's church started appointing gay pastors, and LGBTQ+ partners have been able to marry in church from 2017 onward. During 2023, Tveit participated in the Oslo Pride event in what was called a first for the church.

The apology on Thursday was met with differing opinions. The leader of an organization of Christian lesbians in Norway, Hanne Marie, a lesbian minister herself, described it as “a significant step toward healing” and a moment that “represented the closure of a difficult period in the church’s history”.

For Stephen Adom, the head of the Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Norway, the statement was “meaningful and vital” but had come “overdue for individuals who passed away from AIDS … with deep sorrow in their hearts since the church viewed the epidemic as divine punishment”.

Internationally, a handful of religious institutions have tried to reconcile for their past behavior regarding LGBTQ+ individuals. Last year, the Anglican Church apologised for what it described as “shameful” actions, though it continues to refuse to permit gay marriages within the church.

Similarly, Ireland's Methodist Church last year issued an apology for its “failures in pastoral support and care” regarding the LGBTQ+ community and family members, but remained staunch in its belief that marriage could only be a bond between male and female.

Several months ago, Canada's United Church delivered a statement of regret toward Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ individuals, characterizing it as a renewed commitment of the church’s “commitment to radical hospitality and full inclusion” in all aspects of church life.

“We did not manage to honor and appreciate all of your beautiful creation,” Reverend Blair, the top administrative leader of the church, said. “We have wounded people instead of seeking wholeness. We are sorry.”