A minister who was summoned before the Presbyterian Church of Ireland's (PCI) Judicial Commission for taking part in events with the LGBTQ+ community has resigned.
Reverend Dr Katherine Meyer described the decision as one of the most painful of her life.
However, she said it had become impossible for her to cooperate any further with the PCI's enquiry and disciplinary processes to which she had been subjected.
In a statement, she described the proceedings as "flawed and destructive".
Reverend Dr Katherine Meyers has been through a number of disciplinary actions in recent years and was called before the Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland twice this year alone.
In May, she had to answer for her attendance at a service of worship organised by Amach le Dia (a group comprising LGBTQ+ Christian members) televised by RTÉ.
On the second occasion, she was summoned because she walked in the Dublin Pride Parade during the summer, with a group of church members under a banner, 'Presbyterians for equality and inclusion'.
Complaints were lodged against her by other members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
In a statement, Dr Meyer said: "The particular claim which has been the common theme of these acts of discipline, as best as I can determine, is that by my teaching and actions I have disrupted the peace and unity of the Church. And further, that following censure, I failed to seek to preserve that peace and unity.
"Precisely how I did this was never clearly stated but assumed. The specific trigger for all the complaints, however, in spite of their different circumstances, seems to have been a link to my pastoral support for members of the LGBTQ+ community and my appearance in public in their company, although this was never specifically stated."
Dr Meyer said she cooperated fully, thoughtfully, and clearly with the subsequent enquiry to each complaint and "never taught or advocated" for anything that was contrary to the current teaching of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
However, she said that in the wake of the most recent complaint, she had "no further illusions" about where the latest enquiry was heading.
"Like any intelligent woman of my generation, I have worked a lifetime in historically patriarchal institutions, and the signs were particularly clear.
"To my great sorrow, therefore, I decided that the only path forward for me was to resign from ordained ministry. It was not a decision I welcomed, but on this occasion I could only follow my conscience," she said.
Ironically, she pointed out, that the voice of conscience had been "deeply nurtured, shaped, and made strong" by the gospel as preached and known in the Presbyterian tradition from whose office of ordained ministry she had resigned.
"At its best, that gospel is radical, dangerous to all our certainties, and life-transforming. I am grateful, even in such difficult circumstances, to have been able to discover once again its power," she concluded.
Any resignation 'a matter of regret' - PCI
A spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said the resignation of anyone from the Church was "a matter of regret", but ultimately he said it was a personal decision for each individual.
"However, we recognise that this resignation was offered within the context of judicial processes within the church," he said.
Regarding the work of the commission, he said it "seeks to act prayerfully and with grace, integrity and due probity" in line with the Constitution of the Church.
"While it is not appropriate to comment on the details of judicial processes, during the course of a recent hearing regarding a further complaint concerning Dr Meyer, the Commission dealing with the matter was informed by her that she intended to resign as an ordained minister of the Church," he said.
He added that the resignation was stated before the commission had completed its consultation, and had not come to any conclusions.
"Having been informed of Dr Meyer's intention to resign, the Commission chose not to issue any formal sanction."
As witness and scribe to the Judicial Commissions, Prof Ruth Whelan accompanied Rev Dr Katherine Meyer in the process.
Prof Whelan also issued a statement noting the clarity of Dr Meyer's understanding of the biblical grounds for her actions, the rights of conscience in matters of ethical decision making, and the tradition of loyal dissent within the Reformed and specifically Presbyterian church tradition.
"I left each of these meetings convinced that justice would dictate that the Commission would find in favour of Dr Meyer and censure the complainants for making, what seemed to me, to be vexatious complaints about a minister in good standing who was clearly living up to her ministerial calling," she said.
Ms Whelan said Dr Meyer was strongly criticised for her "ongoing failure to yield submission in the Lord to the courts of the Church" and would have been the object of a more serious censure had she not resigned.
Prof Whelan concluded that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland had "turned in on itself".
"...it no longer recognises the legitimate rights of conscience of church members who dissent from clearly controversial decisions," she said.
She added, that to her eyes, the leadership of the PCI had "imported into the Church the culture wars that prevail in the wider society".
"It is they, and not the thrice censured Dr Meyer, who have damaged the peace and unity of our Church, a damage from which the wider PCI Church community in Ireland may not recover," she concluded.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has been going through a turbulent time in recent years.
In March last year, there was disagreement over the role of women in the PCI when the then Moderator Reverend Sam Mawhinney declared that he was not in favour of their ordination.
In 2019, the PCI dismissed a long-serving church elder for being in a same-sex marriage.
Steven Smyrl was removed as an elder from Christ Church Sandymount - a role he had held since 2007.