Delegates of Norway's largest church,
the Norwegian Lutheran Church, approved a plan on Monday to bless the
marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
According to Reuters,
the 88 to 115 vote came during the church's annual conference taking
place in Oslo.
Gard Sandaker-Nilsen, leader of the
Open Public Church, a religious movement within the church,
campaigned for the change.
“Finally we can celebrate love
independently of whom one falls in love with,” Sandaker-Nilsen
said.
Norway legalized such unions in 2009,
roughly 16 years after it allowed gay couples to enter registered
partnerships.
Other churches which bless the
marriages of gay couples include the Lutheran Church of Sweden, the
French Protestant Church and the U.S. Presbyterian Church.