THE chairman of Oxford Pride has welcomed the support of two former Bishops of Oxford who criticised the Church of England for not listening to gay Christians.

Fourteen retired bishops - including the Right Reverend Lord Harries and the Right Reverend John Pritchard - penned an open letter ahead of a debate at the general Synod on Wednesday where same-sex marriage will be discussed.

The bishops responded to the Church’s official report on sexuality, which was produced last month after three years of ‘shared conversations’ with the LGBT community and other Christians.

It concluded that the Church should remain opposed to same-sex marriage but adopt a ‘fresh tone and culture of welcome and support’.

The retired bishops’ letter said: “Our perception is that while the pain of LGBT people is spoken about in your report, we do not hear its authentic voice.

It added: “The result of that focus on the issue of a change in the law is that your call for change of tone and culture, while absolutely right, does not carry conviction.”

Rob Jordan, chairman of Oxford Pride - a local charity promoting LGBT awareness as well the annual festival - welcomed the retired bishops’ support but warned there was more progress to be made.

He said: “Any member of the clergy, retired or active, championing LGBT rights can only be a good thing.

“Their support is great but there’s still some way to go and a lot of churchs that won’t allow same sex marriage.”

The Abingdon man added: “I agree with them that the Church of England’s stance doesn’t go far enough, they want to change the culture to be welcoming but without any substantial changes it doesn’t mean anything.

“And they should be welcoming and friendly anyway.”

The current Bishop of Oxford the Right Reverend Steven Croft didn’t offer an opinion either way, but warned people to be ‘mindful and careful’ of how difficult the debate may be for many Christians.

He said: “I would encourage all of us to be mindful of and careful for those who will find this continued debate challenging or difficult either for themselves or out of concern for those they love.

“The report touches on intimate and personal questions of identity and conduct.

He added: “This is a season for kindness and gentleness and bearing one another’s burdens as sisters and brothers in Christ.”

Tomorrow bishops will debate the issue at length.