The Uniting Church in Australia has issued an apology and regret to its members in the wake of continuing resistance from conservative members over the issue of homosexual clergy.
But the church's standing committee, which formulated the statement in Sydney at the weekend, still stands by the resolution of the church's national assembly, which last month formalised the right of each presbytery to decide whether or not to ordain and appoint ministers in committed same-sex relationships.
The standing committee has said in a statement that the church probably could have handled the controversy more sensitively, but it also says the church will not recall the national assembly, as its critics have demanded.
A petition circulated by the conservative organisation Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia and signed by 20,439 church members was presented to the standing committee on Friday, resulting in the apology and clarification of the resolution.
But the organisation's national chairwoman, Mary Hawkes, said: "Fundamentally what the church has decided is wrong. And this weekend hasn't changed anything."