Icelandic priest says ‘conversion therapy’ allegations stem from misunderstanding

Fr. Jakob Rolland said he did not advocate trying to change a person’s sexual attraction.

A priest in Iceland says allegations that he violated a law banning conversion therapy are the result of a misunderstanding during a recent interview he gave.

Amid a national controversy in Iceland, Fr. Jakob Rolland, chancellor of the Diocese of Reykjavík, told The Pillar that he did not advocate trying to change a person’s sexual attraction, but instead was explaining Church teaching on sexual activity.

Christ the King Cathedral in Reykjavík. Credit: Jon Gretarsson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia.

He also said that national blowback over the issue has prompted significant interest in the Catholic Church, and an increase in people asking about converting.

Rolland, a French priest who has lived in Iceland for more than 40 years, told The Pillar that a few weeks ago, a journalist with state broadcaster RÚV asked to interview him for a series on the Catholic Church.

The questions initially centered around the Eucharist, Rolland said. The reporter asked about the conditions to receive the Eucharist, and he explained the requirements of being in a state of grace and observing a short fast before communion.

“But then she asked about people who do not live according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, can they receive Holy Communion or not?” the priest continued.

“She gave me her own example, saying she is a lesbian, and lives with her girlfriend, and that they hope to marry someday: If she became a Catholic, could she receive Holy Communion?”

“I replied that first she would have to reconsider her way of life,” Rolland said. “She asked if I meant that she should change, because she said she did not want to change. And I said, ‘Well, that’s your choice, but then, in this condition, you cannot become a Catholic, and you cannot receive Holy Communion.’”

“I explained to her that an inclination is not in itself a sin. It becomes a sin when you live according to such an inclination, which is not in accordance with the teaching of the Church on marriage,” the priest said.

He said the journalist asked what she would need to do, if she wanted to become Catholic. He said he told her “she would have to talk to a priest, and she would really have to reconsider her way of life.”

“She asked if the Church provides such counseling, and I said, ‘Yes, of course, any priest could, or in fact any other person in the Church who is trained to do that’.”

Rolland said he was surprised when the piece aired, with the online title “Catholic Church in Iceland encourages conversion therapy for homosexuality.”

Conversion therapy is banned in Iceland. A law enacted in 2024 prohibits the use of “force, deception or threats” to “induce an individual to undergo treatment for the purpose of suppressing or changing his or her sexuality, gender identity or gender expression.”

Rolland’s interview sparked significant reactions, particularly on social media. One member of parliament suggested that the priest should be prosecuted.

The priest said he does not know if the journalist misunderstood the situation or intentionally twisted his words. He said that in a follow-up interview after the initial interview was published, he explained that the Church does not practice what would be considered conversion therapy under Icelandic law.

But, he said, some LGBT advocates in the country believe that even advocating Church teaching around chastity should be illegal.

While local media have reported that Icelandic police are investigating the priest’s comments, Rolland said he has not been contacted by the police. He said he maintains the support of his bishop.

Rolland said the incident points to a broader conflict in Iceland. He said the Catholic view on sexuality is unwelcome, and those who hold it are “outcast – in the media and in society you are considered unsuitable as a person.”

Many local Catholics are concerned about what their children are being taught about LGBT issues in Icelandic schools, he added.

The priest said there are no longer any Catholic schools in the area, as the small Catholic community did not have the ability to sustain them financially.

“And if we still had them, we would be in trouble with all these laws which would force us to teach things that the Church cannot teach,” he said.

Still, Rolland said, the publicity surrounding his interview has actually seemed to spark renewed interest in the Church for many people.

“Initially, their idea was to mock the Catholic Church, but the result has been the opposite…Over the past few days, I have done nothing but answer emails and take phone calls of support. There are some negative ones, some of them even very violent, even from some Catholics, but they are very few.”

“Since [the interview] became such a media matter, a lot of people have talked to me, and a lot of people have shown an interest in joining the Catholic Church,” he said.

“Every day people send me emails or phone me, saying they would like to know more about the Catholic faith because they are thinking of switching over.”

He said he has seen particular interest among young people, who “say they are fed up with this LGBT propaganda...But they cannot speak out, they don’t have the freedom to criticize it. They are afraid.”

Rolland said he has also received encouragement from other religious groups in the country.

“I received some support from Bahá’í people, and to my surprise some people from the Viking religion told me they were standing with me, and to be strong. Some Lutherans also showed me their support. We have some Lutheran priests now who come to church every Sunday. They say their church, which is the national church in Iceland, is going too far, and they are asking to become Catholics,” he said.