A Christian group has reached an agreement with the Law Society after its marriage conference was cancelled at the last minute.Christian Concern was due to hold a conference in May last year at the Law Society's headquarters exploring the nature and meaning of marriage, but the booking was cancelled after a member of the society complained that the conference was "anti-gay".
As part of a mediation process, Christian Concern and the Law Society met last week to discuss the cancellation.
A joint statement released after the meeting said that both organisations "uphold the right and freedoms of other members of society based on the principles of a democratic society and debate".
It also stated that both parties respect the fact that some people support the view that marriage should be exclusively between a man and a woman, while others believe that it can be between two adults regardless of gender.
"The Law Society, without endorsing the views of Christian Concern, acknowledges that those views, which Christian Concern bases on Biblical principles, are sincerely held and that Christian Concern is entitled to hold and express those views," the statement read.
The Law Society has announced it will organise a full debate on the issue of same sex marriage joined by a speaker from Christian Concern, and that it welcomes bookings from the Christian advocacy group in the future.
Christian Concern commented: "We look forward to working with the Law Society in connection with a forthcoming debate."