Marriage is the union of one man and one woman, and this definition “remains constant,” the two senior figures in the Church of Ireland have said in a joint statement following a conference which discussed homosexuality.

The Archbishop of Armagh, Alan Harper and the Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson (pictured), in a letter on the issue of ‘Human Sexuality in the context of Christian Belief’ said at the weekend that “the Church seeks to witness to society – with humility – rather than simply reflect current popular opinion”.

They wrote: “The conference comes at a time when there are live cultural and political debates relating to ‘same-sex marriage’. Within this context, the Church’s position on marriage as being the union of one man and one woman remains constant.”

Their letter came after a weekend consultation involving 450 General Synod members of the Church of Ireland to discuss the issue of homosexuality.

They said it was “a substantial conversation reflecting strongly held convictions characterised by clarity of expression without judgmentalism”.

The discussion, they said reflected “a clear appreciation of the integrity and principled positions of those expressing different views”.

“It has become clear that there is a breadth of opinion in the Church of Ireland on these matters but also a strong sense of the cohesiveness of the Church. While it is acknowledged that there are still difficult issues for us as a Church, there is not an atmosphere of division,” they said.