The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams spoke publicly for the first time today about the "controversial and challenging" appointment of a gay bishop.
Dr Williams read out the text of a letter which is being sent to English bishops in which he said it would be tragic if the debate meant the Church lost its focus on its priorities.
The Church of England has been hit by in-fighting since the appointment of homosexual Dr Jeffrey John as the new Bishop of Reading. Today the Archbishop sought to calm the controversy.
He said: "It has become a focus for a great deal of debate in which differing views of the appointment and its significance have been widely aired inside and outside the Church here, and indeed much further afield."
Dr Williams said he had no objection to the appointment. But he added that "so far as my own involvement is concerned, you should know it is an appointment I have neither sort to promote nor to obstruct."
The Archbishop said he was informed Canon John was regarded as a highly gifted candidate, acceptable to his local diocese and he had given "explicit assurances on various matters, including his personal circumstances."
He went on: "With these assurances since repeated very publicly, and in keeping with the principle at the integrity of the process within the diocese should be respected, I raised no objection to forwarding his name."
"Despite what some have claimed, I do not believe this overall process weakens the commitment of the House of Bishops to what we have declared as our common mind.
"Nor do I believe that Canon John’s appointment, either, subverts current discipline or forecloses future discussion.
"It would certainly be deplorable if it were assumed that the existing approach has been abandoned by stealth, or that the forthcoming guide to the debate on sexuality we have agreed to publish, was slanted towards a change in that policy.
"So let us be clear: there can be no question of trying to pre-empt, undermine or short circuit the reflection of the Church as a whole."
The Archbishop said it was important to stress to the wider Anglican communion "that we are not embarking on, or colluding with, any policy of unilateral local change."
He said it would be tragic if this issue meant the Church lost its focus on its priorities. "What we say about sexuality, and not just on the same sex question, is a necessary part of our faithfulness, but the concentration on this in recent weeks has had the effect of generating real incomprehension in much of our society, in a way that does nothing for our credibility."
The Archbishop left the press conference without taking any questions. He is due to ordain Dr John as the new Bishop of Reading on October 9.
Earlier today, the newly-appointed Bishop of Bristol stepped into the row, saying such a public debate did nothing to help the Church of England’s cause.
The Right Reverend Michael Hill said: "I feel that the issue is the issue of how we talk compassionately and intelligently to each other on this subject, and also how we stop just talking about this as if it was only an issue and remember that it is about people’s lives."
Bishop Mike, as he likes to be known, also expressed concern over the impact on the wider Anglican community of the decision to appoint Canon John.
He said: "This decision, because of the way the church has to be in certain contexts, places great pressure on a number of archbishops, bishops, clergy and lay members in other parts of the world."
Canon’s John’s appointment has angered some traditionalists in the church. The Bishop of Oxford, whose diocese includes Reading, is facing a rebellion from his own clergy over the appointment.
A group of 80 clergy and 20 leading laity from the Diocese of Oxford said on Friday they were seeking a meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury to plead with him to intervene to stop the appointment taking place.