Justin Welby says when gay marriage is legalised on Saturday, church should show 'the love of Christ for every human being'

The Archbishop of Canterbury has signalled that the Church of England will mount no more resistance to gay marriage among churchgoers.

Gay marriage will be legalised from Saturday with dozens of ceremonies planned around the country for one minute past midnight. This passing of the legislation caused deep rifts within the church.

"I think the church has reacted by fully accepting that it's the law, and should react on Saturday by continuing to demonstrate in word and action, the love of Christ for every human being." Justin Welby told the Guardian.

His comments mark a shift in tone, if not substance, from a letter from the bishops last month that attempted to forbid the clergy from marrying same-sex partners, and which led to a furious backlash from supporters. At least seven clergy couples are preparing to marry in defiance of their bishops, though none are known to be planning a public ceremony.

The global Anglican church is deeply split on the issue and Welby is trying to prevent the schism from spreading to the UK, where some conservative evangelical congregations are threatening to leave the Church of England if it compromises its opposition to gay sex by blessing civil partnerships.

He hopes to finesse the problem via a series of "structured conversations" with the aim of reaching a more civilised disagreement.

There is pressure on both sides of the issue, with some members preparing to publicly support the new legislation.

This is driving some opponents of gay marriage into a frenzy. The Reverend Andrew Symes, the executive secretary of Anglican Mainstream, said in a blog post last week: "When I first started suggesting the idea of calling the church to pray for the nation on March 29th, I was told in no uncertain terms by senior evangelical Anglican leaders that this would send out a negative message."

He went on to say: "We can't be certain about the direct link between bad weather and the gay marriage legislation"

Some clergy are offering to bless same-sex marriages despite their bishops opposition. The Reverend Andrew Cain, from north London, has also announced his intention to marry his partner.