Says the church failed the queer community

Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir, who will be the next bishop of the nation, is interviewed in an extensive interview in the Sunday issue of Morgunblaðið. She is asked about the church’s attitude to the queer community, which was characterized for a time by rejection.

“The church failed. As a result, it is in debt to the queer community. The church was supposed to open its arms to diversity. The majority of priests were always in support of the queer community. It’s important that they are kept in mind, even though the church itself didn’t formally do so until too late,” Helgudóttir says.

Article on Iceland Monitor

Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir is the next bishop of Iceland

Helgudóttir’s second daughter is transgender. “We were surprised when she told us about it, but it was the autumn after her confirmation,” she says. “We don’t choose what assignments we receive as parents, and our job is first and foremost to love, support, and support our children. I’ve always been open-minded about the fact that we humans come in many shapes and sizes, but this made me feel even stronger about how important it is to take every human being the way they are and respect diversity. I think a new generation is teaching us a lot when it comes to diversity.”