The Anglican Church has seen a simmering row over same-sex marriage erupt as leaders gathered for the Lambeth Conference, a roughly once-in-a-decade meeting of its bishops from around the world.
At the heart of the matter is a 1998 resolution known as Lambeth 1.10 that states marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
An initial statement in the programme for debate at this year’s conference said “same-gender marriage is not permissible”, re-opening painful divisions within the 85-million strong global Anglican Communion on the issue.
A subsequent updated version that noted stances vary within the church and that some provinces do allow same-sex unions failed to defuse tensions.