photograph by Christian Bickel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Reykjavik police are evaluating statements made by Catholic priest Fr. Jakob Rolland in an interview with the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV that have been interpreted by critics as an intention to violate the country’s law prohibiting ‘conversion therapy.’
In 2024, the broadly worded law—which bans performing or offering to perform therapy intended to change or suppress sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression—was enshrined after being passed almost unanimously (53-0 with three abstentions and seven absences) by parliament in 2023. The law applies not only to professionals but to all persons.
Fr. Rolland said that while the church does not offer organized therapy specifically aimed at changing anyone’s sexual orientation, it will not turn away homosexuals seeking guidance in the matter and will offer participation in the daily life of the congregation, worship, and prayer. That lines up with the official position of the Catholic Church—not offering medical treatment but providing spiritual and moral guidance.
“Everyone who comes to church has their problems and sins, struggling to some degree with bad tendencies towards something,” Fr. Rolland said in the interview.
“Sexual orientation is only one factor among many that concern an individual’s tendencies towards some lifestyle that is not good for the individual and not good for society,” he said, adding that ‘conversion’—a change of heart—“is a key word in the daily life of Catholic people. We are constantly in the position of turning away from what is evil towards what is good.”
Iceland’s justice minister has asked the Office of Equality Affairs to review the scope of conversion therapy, as recommended three years ago by the General and Education Committee. Helga Vala Helgadóttir, sponsor of the committee’s opinion on the ban, says religious groups in Iceland—not only the Catholic Church—should be investigated.
Fr. Rolland’s case validates concerns expressed not only in Iceland but in other jurisdictions where similar legislation has been considered. In early March, the EU’s LIBE committee held hearings on the idea of banning ‘conversion therapy’ across the bloc, and it is a priority of the EU LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030.
Critics of the proposed EU ban point out that it risks blurring the line between coercion and legitimate therapeutic, spiritual, or parental engagement. The proposed ban also risks encroaching on both religious freedom and freedom of speech.
Ashley Frawley, visiting research fellow at the think tank MCC Brussels, said, “Public debate understandably focuses on disturbing historical cases involving coercion or degrading treatment. But the definitions now being advanced go much further. There is a real risk that broad, ambiguous legislation could suppress lawful therapeutic practice and penalise families acting in good faith.”