Clergy conscience call on gay marriage

Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier has written to Tony Abbott to urge that any changes to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex unions will let Anglican and other clergy follow their conscience.

In his letter to the prime minister and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Dr Freier said while the Anglican Church "abhors homophobia in any form", the church only permits marriage between a man and a woman.

"Ministers of religion recognised by a church or other religious body must have the right to refuse to solemnise a marriage if in doing so that would contravene his or her religious beliefs or the religious beliefs of the church or other religious body," he wrote.