A motion proposed by the majority of the Church of Ireland bishops rejecting gay marriage has been withdrawn from the church's General Synod.
The Bishop of Cork, Paul Coulton, and other speakers challenged the motion on the basis that it changed the doctrine of the church and therefore required new church legislation and not simply a motion of synod.
The collapse of today's initiative was regarded as an embarrassment for the Church's leadership, but it was applauded by liberal synodsmen.
