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