More bishops have come out in support of gay marriage after the Bishop of Oxford became the most senior Church of England cleric to call for a break with tradition.

The Rt Rev Steven Croft said that he wanted to acknowledge the “acute pain and distress of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the Church”, and said that he was sorry his views on same-sex marriage were “slow to change” and had “caused genuine hurt, disagreement and pain”.

In his landmark declaration on Thursday night, which broke ranks with the Church’s current view on this issue, he said that as well as being able to conduct marriages for their congregation, clergy should also be allowed to marry a same-sex partner.

Currently, according to canon law, no Church of England minister can bless or marry gay couples. 

However, a number of other senior clergy, including bishops, have joined Bishop Croft in publicly calling for the Church to change on the issue.

The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Rev Dr John Inge – a diocesan bishop – and the Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Rev Martin Gorick – a more junior suffragan bishop – have now publicly backed his calls.

They published a joint letter on Twitter saying that “in the interest of transparency, we think it right for us to make our own beliefs and hopes plan”: 

The Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, praised Bishop Croft’s “contemplative, compassionate and courageous views on human sexuality and the Church”, adding: “I agree.” 

The Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Rev Alan Wilson also tweeted his “thanks and warm congratulations” for articulating “an honest and godly view”, while the Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Rev Gavin Collins, tweeted his support and endorsement for the Church to support same-sex marriage: 

The Bishop of Oxford called for a change in canon law to allow same-sex marriages and said that gay Christians, including clergy, should have the “freedom to marry same-sex partners [and] freedom to be sexually active” within those marriages.

He became the first serving senior bishop in the Church of England – out of the two Archbishops and 35 serving diocesan bishops – to explicitly call for the Church to conduct same-sex marriages.

His comments came as Church of England bishops are currently considering whether to recommend any changes to the centuries-old doctrine that only opposite-sex couples should marry.

Next February, the bishops will present their long-awaited findings to the General Synod and their recommendations could pave the way for an historic vote following decades of division.

A spokesman for the Church of England Evangelical Council said that it  “rejects the theological argument in Bishop Steven’s essay”.

In contrast, Jayne Ozanne, an LGBT campaigner and member of the General Synod, welcomed Bishop Croft’s comments as a “brave, prophetic step”.