A furious row over gay marriage has erupted within the Church of England after a vicar took to Facebook to call the Archbishop of Canterbury a ‘wanker’.

Reverend Marcus Ramshaw, who trained for the priesthood at the same Durham college as Justin Welby, also called him a ‘massive mistake’ in an online rant.

He demanded the Archbishop resigned after he spoke against gay marriage during a House of Lords debate and said: ‘He does not speak in my name and I think he is a wanker but I’m not going to stop being a Christian or a priest’.

But soon afterwards the Church of England’s PR team tracked him down because they were angry about his comments, and asked him to delete them.

Row: Rev Marcus Ramshaw (left) turned on the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and called him a ‘wanker’ after he spoke against gay marriage in the House of Lords (right) this week

Row: Rev Ramshaw called on the Archbishop to resign and called him a wanker in this post on Facebook

‘My attention has been drawn to your recent comments directed at Justin Welby’, Rev Arun Arora, head of communications for the C of E said in a message.

‘Clearly you are upset with the political stance of the C of E leadership. That much is clear. However that is no Justification for your language and vitriol.

‘Calling another Christian a wanker doesn’t work for me as a priestly response.

‘I hope you might find time to reconsider the expression of your anger and delete some of these posts.’

Mr Ramshaw then replied: ‘i will, i dont know you at all but i see you are director of comms, please specify exactly what you wish me to withdraw and i will oblige.’

Mr Arora then said responded: “How about removing the line about Justin ‘a wanker’?’.

Rant: Rev Ramshaw then called for a petition to force Welby out of the job at the top of the Church

He later added: ‘I think any right minded person would find a priest calling his archbishop an onanist to be utterly outrageous.’

Defence: Justin Welby was defended by his PR team who said: ‘Whilst I am sure this will be water off a duck’s back for Archbishop Justin, I don’t think calling someone a wanker  is the best way of engaging’

On Monday The Archbishop of Canterbury warned that David Cameron’s push for gay marriage would diminish the institution and weaken the family.

In his first major intervention on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, the Most Rev Justin Welby said he could not support the legislation ‘as it stands’.

‘Rather than adding a new and valued institution alongside it for same gender relationships, which I would personally strongly support to strengthen us all, this Bill weakens what exists and replaces it with a less good option that is neither equal nor effective,’ he said.

‘The concept of marriage as a normative place for procreation is lost; the idea of marriage as covenant is diminished; the family in its normal sense, predating the state, and as our base community of society, as we have already heard, is weakened.’

This is what prompted Mr Ramshaw, who is not currently licensed to officiate because he is a full-time carer but wants to work in the Church again, to blow his top.

He is angry that currently the clergy cannot be forced to marry gay couples or do it as a matter of conscience because they will then be banned.

‘Why is the Church, after the whole women bishops debacle, now excluding people who actually want to get married? I suspect many bishops, clergy and laity support gay marriage but we do not have a vote,’ he said.

The Church said today that Mr Ramshaw was entitled to his opinion, but said they were right to confront him.

‘The issue of same Sex Marriage is an emotive one. There are a variety of views within the Church and much of that debate takes place online. I don’t think calling someone a wanker is the best way of engaging. Whilst I am sure this will be water off a duck’s back for Archbishop Justin, I think it was right to challenge Marcus’ approach,’ a spokesman said.

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