The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised after a Church of England statement issued last week announced only married heterosexual couples could have sex.

In a joint statement issued with York counterpart John Sentamu, Justin Welby said the guidance had "jeopardised trust" and recognised it had caused "division and hurt".

Last week bishops declared sex in gay or straight civil partnerships “falls short of God’s purpose for human beings” prompting 3,000 people, including 800 members of the clergy, to sign an open letter which said the stance had made the Church a "laughing stock".

Now archbishops Welby and Sentamu have said: "We as Archbishops, alongside the bishops of the Church of England, apologise and take responsibility for releasing a statement last week which we acknowledge has jeopardised trust. We are very sorry and recognise the division and hurt this has caused.

"At our meeting of the College of Bishops of the Church of England this week we continued our commitment to the Living in Love and Faith project which is about questions of human identity, sexuality and marriage. This process is intended to help us all to build bridges that will enable the difficult conversations that are necessary as, together, we discern the way forward for the Church of England."

The Living in Love and Faith review began in 2017 after the Church narrowly threw out a report by bishops which upheld the traditional views of marriage.

It aimed to develop “a proper 21st-century understanding of being human and being sexual” within the Church and is due to deliver its findings soon.

So, the timing of last week's statement also proved deeply unpopular, with the letters signatories stating they felt "badly let down.”

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