Protestant Churches in Switzerland have come out in favour of a proposal to give a legal basis to same-sex marriages.

A clear majority of delegates approved a recommendation by the Protestant church leadership during a nationwide assembly on Tuesday, reports the SwissInfo.

However, the delegates decided to leave it up to pastors of the member churches whether they want to allow gay marriages based on church law.

The move followed controversial debates about the position of the Protestant Churches, amid opposition by more conservative groups.

“The assembly of delegates has made a point to stress that different notions of marriage remain possible in the Protestant Church,” a statement says.

The Protestant Churches have a federalist structure and are one of the leading churches in Switzerland.

The other main religious denomination in Switzerland, the Roman Catholic Church, has so far refused to take a clear stance on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Moves are underway in parliament to give legal basis to same-sex marriage. The House of Representatives is due to discuss a bill next year.

Most political parties have come out in favour, except for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party and the centrist Protestant Party.

The bill does not include the issue of adoption or reproductive medicine.

In Switzerland, both gay and lesbian couples are now officially recognized since 2007. Some however said they were shocked to see the church join in the new movement for same sex marriage.