Modernising church state relations for the 21^st Century: A Rome - Canterbury comparison with reference to the United Kingdom.

James A Ware

As both the Pontiff and Archbishop of Canterbury change in quick succession, a question has to be asked what the new relationship is for church state relations now that there is the United Nations and within the United Kingdom, Anglicanism is the minority church such that the 2011 census records simply Christian.

Firstly the Vatican is both a church ‘of Rome’ and the remaining state within Rome of the pre nineteenth century Papal states. As such it is a state and intergovernmental organisation at the United Nations. One of their more ancient orders of chivalry is the FD or defender of the faith, a title granted for scholasticism to Henry VIII of England for his work as a young student prior to ascending the throne. As such the relationship for UK Catholics of both churches is deep and binding.

There are thus three main Episcopal churches in the United Kingdom (including the Orthodox Church of Thyrateria and Great Britain). Canterbury is the established church of England with disestablished provinces of all Ireland, Wales and in Scotland a minority church to the Calvinist Kirk of Scotland. This is according to the Act of Union 1801. It in turn has been amended by subsequent devolved legislation that established the bi provincial General Synod and devolved canon law of the ‘provinces’ of York and Canterbury as the body devolved from the Westminster parliament to legislate for the Church of England

As the ‘gay marriage quadruple lock’ shows, Wales has a similar structure of its nine sees that is distinct and independent of state, but is still linked through the monarchy and UK Privy Council for matters that used to be common to both when Wales was divided between the provinces of York and Canterbury. Its post 1920s Primate Archbishop liaises through the Lambeth conference of Archbishops. He also does so through the Archbishops council since its ‘disestablishment’ at Westminster in the 1920s.

The Modern Irish churches of all Ireland have Cathedral shrine churches for both Roman Catholic and Anglican churches which have been discreetly lobbying for the peace process and prior to the Good Friday Agreement aided negotiations for Loyalist and Republican ceasefires. The challenge for the modern UK churches is for the equivalents of the Diocese of London and Archdiocese of Westminster in Derry and Belfast to generate employment and activities away from riots, especially as:

1)      the police service of Northern Ireland  is now non sectarian

2)      the UK state has apologised for Bloody Sunday

3)      The Island is demilitarising

4)      Both the north and republic have democratic assemblies that represent their peoples according to:

a.       The Irish Free State Treaty Act of 1921,   

b.      Statute of Westminster act 1931,

c.       Irish Republic enabling legislation in Dail Eirnan as ratified by referendum in the 1940s in the 26 counties,

d.      The Anglo Irish agreement of 1986 that recognised the seceded Irish Republic as a ‘peace partner’,

e.       And the Good Friday Agreement that created pluralistic devolution for the remaining six counties agreed by cross community referendum.

In Scotland the tripartite churches of Roman Catholic, Anglican Episcopal and Church of Scotland show that coexistence under law and devolved democracy has reduced and prevented sectarianism.

So what can the Vatican do now as to its choice of Pontiff? If he’s West African it could avoid tension and reduce conflict if the choice complements Welby, allowing for peace in the Middle East and better dialogue with the new Muslim democracies. This could possibly aid reform of Saudi Arabia and Iran with coexistence and mutual security with Israel and Palestine. A theologian from Latin America with a similar mindset might also resolve the Falklands rhetoric towards cooperation on Oil extraction based on the expected vote in favour of British sovereignty by the Islands residents themselves and show that peaceful support for new democracy in Israel and Palestine is sustainable.

As such building on the work of John Paul II and Benedict a peace partner in the Vatican aiding dialogue and international law is desirable as the College of Cardinals meet before Easter so that Christendom has a double induction and the idea of a Tri city area of Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Ramallah is debated as part of the peace process. At Present Fatah wants a two state solution as does the Israeli Labour Party and they are the partner parties of Her Majesty’s Opposition in the House of Commons, under the ‘socialist international’ that coordinates work between these parties. This is therefore the parliament to ask the question and the time to resolve what assistance for peace in the Holy Land, the successor Christian states to the Christian church that fought the crusades can provide under the United Nations and international law.

Mr. James Ware

what the lib dems in hillingdon are probably proposing in 2014

On 6/2/13 the Mayor of London Boris Johnson advocated the devolution of Tax Receipts from Stamp Duty accrued in Greater London to build 1 million new affordable or social houses. This depends on whether its him or a Labour Mayor in 2016, subject to local borough authorities elected and implementing LDA development guidelines, with reference to heritage and conservation (both urban and rural) areas.

Stamp Duty: What is it?

Stamp duty is one of the historic taxes in the buying and selling of property. Administered by Solicitors as part of the conveyancing process, it produces £1.3 Billion within the region. As such the Mayor thinks that keeping this tax and devolving proceeds similar to the way the National Scottish Legislature has devolved national income tax varying powers.

What would it pay for?

It would thus pay for housing on sites by the A40 such as RAF Northolt with the RAF moving to Heathrow when the thames estuary gets built and combined with grants for housing properties to be maintained from existing stock and some grants for the remedying of derelict properties in conservation areas.

Why is this necessary?

To ensure a stable economy is developed and that expertise in construction is redeveloped for use across the UK. Also other family sized housing in the suburbs would be built as a result of this allowing for economic recovery.

Committee (House of Commons)

Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee Announcement

21 January 2013

For Immediate Release:

Committee announces new inquiry – House of Lords reform: what next?

The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee has decided to conduct an inquiry into what smaller-scale changes to the membership and structure of the House of Lords would be likely to command a consensus.    The Committee is issuing a call for written evidence that addresses some or all of the following points:

·                         The desirability, practicality and effectiveness of mechanisms for reducing the size of the House of Lords, including the following:

Ø  no longer replacing hereditary peers in the House of Lords when they die;

Ø  measures to remove persistent non-attendees;

Ø  a moratorium on new peers;

Ø  fixed-term appointments for new peers; 

Ø  a retirement age for peers.

·         The effectiveness of the current voluntary retirement scheme for peers introduced following the recommendations of the Leader’s Group on Members Leaving the House.

·         The desirability and scope of a mechanism to expel peers who have been convicted of a serious offence. 

·         The desirability, composition and remit of a Statutory Appointments Commission.

·         The scope for establishing a consensus about the principles which should determine the relative numerical strengths of the different party groups in the House of Lords, and for codifying such principles.

How to respond:

The deadline for written submissions is Tuesday 26 March 2013.  Submissions should not significantly exceed 3,000 words unless this has been cleared in advance with the Committee secretariat.  Written responses to the Committee will usually be treated as evidence to the Committee and may be published. If you object to your response being made public in a volume of evidence, please make this clear when it is submitted.

Responses should be submitted by email in Microsoft Word or rich text format to pcrc@parliament.uk

If you do not have access to email, you may send a paper copy of your response to the Clerk of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, Committee Office, First Floor, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Committee Membership is as follows:  Mr Graham Allen (Chair) (Nottingham North), Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch), Paul Flynn (Newport West), Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East), Mr Andrew Griffiths (Burton), Mr Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East), Simon Hart (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire), Tristram Hunt (Stoke-on-Trent Central), Mrs Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest), Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) and Stephen Williams (Bristol West).

Specific Committee Information:  pcrc@parliament.uk 020 7219 6287

Media Information: Jessica Bridges-Palmer bridgespalmerj@parliament.uk 07917 488 447

Committee Website: www.parliament.uk/pcrc

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House of Lords Reform: Where next

3/2/12

I am minded that tomorrow in the CofE diocesan cathedral of my birth Justin Welby (rt Rev Bishop of Durham) is to be legally inducted as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Much is made of the House of Lords having bishops of the C of E ex officio as the 26 ‘double jury’ on the basis of seniority in the post (longest term served) as the basis of the original 1215 Magna Carta reform that sought to change from Saxon gradated aristocratic witans into the House of Lords and Commons of the modern age, with an one intermediary tri chamber parliament of the house of bishops. This is the modern day inspiration for the tri chamber General Synod of the two ‘home provinces’ of the Church of England.

However in state there are two chambers of Parliament. The idea behind that is that so long as people raise the next generation well and ideally as part of the Church of England or one of its recognised denominations or faiths that advise the crown, the common ideals of tolerance are maintained. Hence the idea of the Heir to the Throne to defend faiths and none as well as being the FD title of Henry VIII.

These are only allegorical as the Tudor reforms put due process and the removal of harsh punishments from the united English and Welsh legal systems, now operating into similarly compassionate separate jurisdictions, similar to other Commonwealth jurisdictions.

Now, since 1829 for previous and current abilities and achievements, faith leaders of other churches and faiths sit in the chamber and can offer advice, especially with the end of the death penalty and compassion with legal support. This is based on the ideals of faith tolerance started in the Parliamentary Republic of Oliver Cromwell.

This is regarded as Ken Clarke’s compassionate time as Home Secretary through to tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.

As such the United Kingdom has faith within its ‘senate’ and the question should be, should this continue or not? I would argue that as under the laws of state, non faith organisations exist such as Richard Dawkins and the National Secularist association,  have patrons from the Royal Family. As such all should within the ex officio component, similar to the hereditaries under a Government of Britain Bill with a codified constitution passed similar to the European Human Rights Act 1999, as amended and with a right of secession for the territories of Scotland, Wales and the six counties of Northern Ireland by develoution enabling leglislation, subsequent developments and Westminster devolved standing orders.

This should be approved by referendum after a constitutional convention as part of resolving the following issues:
Turning to the hereditaries, in the realism agenda they should be kept in the interim. IN an Age of austerity it is better that they keep their peerages linked to the crown and in an age of austerity this aids those with ability to make wealth to do so lawfully.

This requires proper parliamentary guidelines and company law to include the tax havens and financial instruments such as LIBOR regulated up to Treasury standards for the inflation target. This should be codified into the laws of the Commonwealth and IMF / World Bank to ensure that all play fair and can be held to account to deal with the threats of piracy and smuggling.

James A. Ware