The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby has spoken of being “threatened with parliamentary action” in an attempt to “force same-sex marriage” into the Church of England.
He was speaking at the global Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Ghana.
It comes after reforms within the church allowed the blessing of same-sex couples in civil partnerships.
The change was made after a motion was passed by the General Synod, the church’s legislative body, this month.
Its position on gay marriage will not change and same-sex couples will still be unable to marry in church.
The Telegraph reports Mr Welby met with MPs at the House of Commons last month, and pushed back on further changes to its status on same-sex marriage.
Speaking ahead of the changes, broadcaster Sandi Toksvig said a meeting in January with the archbishop, last month was “very disappointing”.
Ms Toksvig is a high-profile campaigner on LGBT+ issues, and although not a member of the church, she told the BBC she spoke out because she felt the impact of the message being sent out by the bishops was having an impact far beyond the Church.
The changes in the church have been unpalatable to some conservatives, but also fall well short of what many progressives had wanted.
Giving the presidential address on Sunday, Mr Welby said “many” members of the General Synod have “dismissed” his concerns about recent reforms.
He told those at the meeting, held in the Ghanian capital Accra “rules about sexuality in the Church of England” have been tabled for discussion as a “result” of growing atheism in the UK.
The archbishop said in the global north, Christian values of “community and mutual responsibility” have been “almost eliminated” in favour of “individualism”.