Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey says he will support legislation that would make it legal for terminally ill people in England and Wales to receive help to end their lives.
Lord Carey writes in the Daily Mail that he has dropped his opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill "in the face of the reality of needless suffering".
But the current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has called the bill "mistaken and dangerous".
Peers will debate the bill on Friday.
'Not anti-Christian'Tabled by Labour peer Lord Falconer, the legislation would make it legal for adults in England and Wales to be given assistance ending their own life. It would apply to those with less than six months to live.
Two doctors would have to independently confirm the patient was terminally ill and had reached their own, informed decision to die.
Some 110 peers are already listed to speak when the House of Lords debates the private members bill on Friday.
Insisting it would not be "anti-Christian" to change the law, Lord Carey said the current situation risked "undermining the principle of human concern which should lie at the heart of our society".
He added: "Today we face a central paradox. In strictly observing the sanctity of life, the Church could now actually be promoting anguish and pain, the very opposite of a Christian message of hope."
When Lord Carey was still the Archbishop of Canterbury he was among the opponents of Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, which was successfully blocked in the House of Lords in 2006.
End Quote Rabbi Jonathan Romain Maidenhead SynagogueHe shows that it is possible to be both religious and in favour of assisted dying"
But in his article in Saturday's Daily Mail Lord Carey said: "The fact is that I have changed my mind. The old philosophical certainties have collapsed in the face of the reality of needless suffering."
He said it was the case of Tony Nicklinson, who had locked-in syndrome and died after being refused the legal right to die , who had had the "deepest influence" on his decision.
Mr Nicklinson's widow Jane, said Lord Carey's switch was "huge".
"I'm amazed actually and thrilled because the Church has always been one of our greatest opponents," she told BBC Radio 5 live.
"Someone shouldn't be forced to stay alive with daily suffering - his life was a living hell."
Abused and neglectedLord Falconer told BBC Radio 5 live that Lord Carey "makes the point that it's not anti-Christian to support the change in the law that my bill proposes".
"I believe it reflects the view of almost everyone in the debate that - whatever view you take about the issues - nobody wants people who are properly motivated by compassion to be prosecuted. And he puts those arguments incredibly powerfully."
However, the current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby warned Lord Falconer's bill would mean elderly and disabled people coming under pressure to end their lives.
Assisted dying debate What is the current law on assisted dying around the UK?The 1961 Suicide Act makes it an offence to encourage or assist a suicide or a suicide attempt in England and Wales. Anyone doing so could face up to 14 years in prison.
The law is almost identical in Northern Ireland. There is no specific law on assisted suicide in Scotland, creating some uncertainty, although in theory someone could be prosecuted under homicide legislation.
Have there been any previous attempts to change the law?There have already been several attempts to legalise assisted dying, but these have been rejected.
The Commission on Assisted Dying, established and funded by campaigners who have been calling for a change in the law, concluded in 2012 that there was a "strong case" for allowing assisted suicide for people who are terminally ill in England and Wales.
But the medical profession and disability rights groups, among others, argue that the law should not be changed because it is there to protect the vulnerable in society.
What is the situation abroad?In other countries, such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, legislation has been introduced to allow assisted dying. France is considering a possible introduction of similar legislation, although there is opposition from its medical ethics council.
Campaign group Dignity in Dying predicts that a lot more countries will follow suit.
"What sort of society would we be creating if we were to allow this sword of Damocles to hang over the head of every vulnerable, terminally-ill person in the country?" he wrote in the Times.
"It would be very naive to think that many of the elderly people who are abused and neglected each year, as well as many severely disabled individuals, would not be put under pressure to end their lives if assisted suicide were permitted by law.
"It would be equally naive to believe, as the Assisted Dying Bill suggests, that such pressure could be recognised in every instance by doctors given the task of assessing requests for assisted suicide.
"Abuse, coercion and intimidation can be slow instruments in the hands of the unscrupulous, creating pressure on vulnerable people who are encouraged to 'do the decent thing'."
Lord Carey received support from Rabbi Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead Synagogue, who said: "He shows that it is possible to be both religious and in favour of assisted dying," the rabbi said.
'Criteria not safeguards'The Church of England said in a statement its governing body, the General Synod, had passed a motion on the issue in February 2012.
The motion reaffirmed the Church's "support for the current law on assisted suicide as a means of contributing to a just and compassionate society in which vulnerable people are protected".
And Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who is the Speaker's chaplain in the House of Commons, said having an assisted suicide law would sanitise death.
"I just happen to believe that matters of life and death in that way is not for us to play with. There are lots and lots of vulnerable people out there... you cannot make a law that is going to have a serious impact on a majority of people."
But Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship said he was concerned about vulnerable people being exploited.
"We've got to think about the people who are going to feel a duty to end their lives so as not to be a burden to others.
"I'm worried about the disabled people, the depressed and elderly, who are going to be put at danger by this bill which really just has eligibility criteria and not safeguards."
What do you think about Lord Carey's decision to support the Assisted Dying Bill? Have you been affected by the issues in this story? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the title 'Assisted dying'.
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