The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the Church of England has not "reached the end of the road" over its position on gay marriage.

After years of internal debate and division, the Church of England is refusing to change its teaching that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman. In a report published last week the Church's bishops called for "a fresh tone and culture of welcome and support for lesbian and gay people" and promised "maximum freedom" for LGBT couples but declined to change the current laws.

But Justin Welby on Thursday said "the process is continuing" after years of private talks at all levels of Church hierarchy.

"Three years of talking to each other and listening to each other makes it clear there isn't a view in the Church of changing the teaching on marriage," he told Nick Ferrari on LBC.

"But in the Church of England the process is continuing and we have got a long way to go and we have got to learn," he continued.

"I am not pretending that where we are at the moment in our attitudes, in our ways of speaking is something that we have got to the end of the road on."

He was responding to a question from a listener who asked, "When will the Church finally treat gay and straight people as equal in every way and what is stopping you and the church making a bold and just move on this matter?"

She said: "Surely the bottom line would be that God teaches us to treat everyone equally and not judge."

Welby acknowledged the Church had a "bad history" in how it treated gay people and needed "to repent of the wrong attitudes taken in the past".

He said: "The way in which we speak and the attitudes we take has to change dramatically."

But he added teaching on marriage "isn't the Church of England's to change".

He said the global Church had the same view on marriage which had been in place since the Church has ever existed.

Welby appeared on LBC alongside Cardinal Vincent Nichols, head of the UK Catholic Church, who said his "first duty" was to be faithful to Christ.

"His word, which we believe to be the word of God without any doubt, is that the proper place and proper understanding of marriage is that it is between a man and a woman."

The CofE has promised a new teaching document on marriage and relationships that would explore what accommodation could be given to gay couples.

It will "affirm the place of lesbian and gay people in the life of the Church" but will offer no concrete changes to teaching.

Bishops will publish guidance for "appropriate pastoral provision for same sex couples" and "explore more fully" what the Church will offer gay couples, they said.

No indication about what suggestions will be made is clear.