In a deeply emotional moment of reckoning, the Church of Norway has formally apologised to queer people and their loved ones for the pain, exclusion, and discrimination it has caused over the decades.
The apology was delivered in person on Thursday by the Church’s leading bishop, Olav Fykse Tveit, at the London Pub in Oslo—a venue that has long been a symbol of LGBTQ+ community life and resilience. The pub was also the site of a deadly shooting during Oslo Pride in 2022, adding even greater weight to the occasion.
“It Should Not Have Happened”
Standing before an audience of queer people, allies, and faith leaders, Bishop Tveit recognised the Church’s long history of causing harm.
“The Norwegian Church has caused queer shame, great harm, and pain. It should not have happened. Therefore, I say today: Forgive me,” he said.
In his speech, the bishop detailed the ways the Church had failed LGBTQ+ people—refusing to employ or marry same-sex couples, perpetuating stigma around HIV, and allowing trans and queer people to feel unsafe or excluded within religious spaces.
“This has led to queers feeling shame, as a result of a prevailing narrative of what love is right or wrong, and pressure from the church to hide or deny who they were,” Tveit said. “Many feel that there is no place for them.”
Tveit also acknowledged that work remains, as indicated in a new report on how some trans people still experience the church as an unsafe space.
A Journey from Condemnation to Change
The apology marks the culmination of a decades-long transformation within the Church of Norway.
In the 1950s, the Church’s Bishops’ Conference infamously described queer people as a “social danger of global dimensions.” Even into the 1990s, it largely failed to challenge stigma and prejudice around HIV and same-sex relationships.
Change began slowly in the 2000s. By 2007, the Church allowed gay and lesbian people in partnerships to be ordained, and by 2016, it formally approved the marriage of same-sex couples in church ceremonies.
Still, Bishop Tveit acknowledged that these milestones do not erase the damage of the past.
Remembering the Wounds — and Those Lost
The bishop recognised that for many, the apology comes too late. Countless queer people have lived and died feeling rejected by their faith community. “Some of those who should have heard our apology are no longer with us,” he said solemnly.
He thanked those who had continued to engage with the Church despite its failings — those who raised the Pride flag, shared their painful stories, and insisted on love’s place in faith.
“Faith in God can give us the courage to be who we are,” Tveit said. “Many queers have been brave and done so. Thank goodness.”
Christians Urged to Stand Against Discrimination
The Church of Norway’s apology, delivered at a site symbolic of both queer joy and tragedy, is being widely seen as a meaningful gesture of accountability and reconciliation. It also arrives at a time when LGBTQ+ rights are being rolled back in many countries—often in the name of religion.
Bishop Tveit urged all Christians to stand against such discrimination:
“Today we see that people with LGBT+ identity are losing their basic rights in many places in the world. They are subjected to violence and stigmatization. Not infrequently this happens with some form of religious justification, also in the name of the Christian faith. We must all take responsibility to counteract this – not least the church.”
A Long Overdue but Welcome Step
While some critics may dismiss the apology as performative, many queer Norwegians and allies view it as a sincere and necessary step towards healing.
In a world where religion is still frequently used to justify queerphobia, the Church of Norway’s public repentance sends a powerful message: change is possible, and faith and inclusion can coexist.
As Bishop Tveit concluded, his words resonated far beyond Oslo’s city centre:
“A society where you can love who you want, and be who you are, makes Norway and the world a better place.”
