Role and status of the Church of England

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 624.

Religion in England. The Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national churches. Others include the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Ireland. The British Monarch is “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”.

Thus, Britain does not follow the rule of "separation of church and state" as many modern states do and the Church of England plays a role in governing the country. Firstly, the British monarch is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and no adherent of other religions can become the monarch or the consort. Secondly, the Measures of the General Synod (the church's legislative body) become part of English law. Thirdly, the two archbishops and 24 senior bishops sit in the House of Lords, making a major contribution to the Parliament's work.

The Church of England, although an established church, does not receive any direct government support. Donations comprise its largest source of income, though it also relies heavily on the income from its various historic endowments.

The church has its own judicial branch, known as the Ecclesiastical courts, which likewise form a part of the UK court system, and have powers especially in relation to the care of churches and churchyards and the discipline of the clergy.