The Archbishop of Canterbury says he is praying for "fruitful" conversations as the College of Bishops meets this week to discuss the next phase of Living in Love and Faith (LLF).
LLF is an extensive dialogue taking place across the Church of England about marriage, gender, relationships and sexuality.
It has been underway since 2017 and parishes have spent the last two years in a process of discussion using a suite of resources prepared by the LLF team - a group formed of Anglicans from a wide spectrum of beliefs around these issues.
Feedback submitted by parishes and published in September found that comments in support of the acceptance of same-sex marriage outnumbered those against.
The College of Bishops is meeting this week to consider proposals for a way forward.
Commenting on their gathering, Archbishop Justin Welby said on Twitter, "As the College of Bishops meets over the next three days I'm looking forward to fruitful, energising and honest conversations. I pray we may be open to the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we might listen and learn from each other, and hear God's call for God's Church."
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, asked Anglicans to pray for "this important work".
The outcome of their meetings will be presented to the next meeting of the Church of England's parliamentary body, the General Synod, in February 2023.
