The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said he will work to find a solution to the growing row between his government and the Catholic Church over adoption of children by gay couples.
Catholic adoption agencies in England and Wales have requested an exemption from legislation which would make it illegal to discriminate against gay couples.
The row concerns a conflicting set of rights: the right to exercise freedom of conscience versus the right not to be discriminated against.
New regulations due to come into force in April will make it illegal for providers of goods and services to discriminate against gay couples.
But Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was accused of blackmail when he asked for an opt-out for Catholic adoption agencies and suggested those agencies could be forced to close rather than offer children to gay couples.
While the Cardinal is backed by the leaders of the Anglican Church, virtually every cabinet minister - with the exception of Ruth Kelly, who is a practising Catholic - oppose making legislative exceptions for religious beliefs.
Mr Blair, who is not a Catholic but is a regular Mass-goer and is thought to be sympathetic to the Catholic position, has said he will attempt to find a way to resolve the growing dispute.
Whether or not he succeeds will be seen as a measure of his waning authority as prime minister.
