[The Melbourne Anglican (Diocese of Melbourne, Anglican Church of Australia)] Individual dioceses may be left to discern the way ahead on same-sex marriage within the church after motions both for and against such unions were voted down at General Synod, leaders have predicted.

Despite differences of opinion on whether same-sex marriage was “a moral good and a gift to be celebrated” within the Anglican Church, leaders agreed that listening to one another is a key aspect of moving forward.

Two motions regarding same-sex marriage failed to pass at General Synod last week. The first was a statement by Sydney Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, which sought to define marriage in the Anglican Church as “the exclusive union of one man and one woman.”