Church of England: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 01:29, 23 September 2003 edit66.191.118.233 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit		Revision as of 01:49, 23 September 2003 edit undoRickK (talk \| contribs)36,836 edits wikifyNext edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
	The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England		The '''Church of England''' is the officially established ] ] in ] and is the mother branch of the the worldwide ].
	and is the mother branch of the the worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches.

	Although Christians were present in England since the ~~fourth~~ century or earlier, the Church of England traces its roots to Augustine of Canterbury, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, in the ~~seventh~~ century.		Although Christians were present in England since the ] or earlier, the Church of England traces its roots to ] of Canterbury, the first ], in the ].

	The Church of England retains a form of worship closer to the Roman Catholic form than other Protestant churches. For example, the church has a hierarchical organization.		The Church of England retains a form of worship closer to the ] form than other ] churches. For example, the church has a hierarchical organization.

	The head of the Church of England is officially the reigning monarch, but its effective chief cleric remains the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. It has its own court system known as the Ecclesiastical ~~Courts~~.		The head of the Church of England is officially the reigning monarch, but its effective chief cleric remains the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. It has its own court system known as the ]s.

	In addition to England proper, the jurisdiction of the Church of England extends to the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and many congregations on the continent of Europe known as the Diocese of Europe.		In addition to England proper, the jurisdiction of the Church of England extends to the ], the ] and many congregations on the continent of Europe known as the ].

	===Schism with Rome===		==Schism with Rome==
		⚫	The English Church was in union with ] until the reign of ]. The break with Rome came when ] refused, over a period of years, to annul Henry's marriage to ], not as a matter of principle, but because he was living in fear of Catherine's nephew, ].

		⚫	Henry first asked for an annulment in ]. After various failed initiatives he stepped up the pressure on Rome, in the summer of ], by compiling a manuscript from ancient sources proving in law that spiritual supremacy rested with the monarch, and that Papal authority was illegal. In ] Henry first challenged the ] when he demanded 100,000 ] from the clergy in exchange for a royal pardon for their illegal jurisdiction, and that he should be recognised as their sole protector and supreme head. Henry VIII was recognized by the clergy as supreme head of the Church of England on ] ], however in ] he was still attempting to seek a compromise with the Pope.
⚫	The English Church was in union with Rome until the reign of Henry VIII. The break with Rome came when Pope Clement VII refused, over a period of years, to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, not as a matter of principle, but because he was living in fear of Catherine's nephew, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

		⚫	In May 1532 the Church of England agreed to surrender their legislative independence and ] to the authority of the monarch. In ] the ] removed the right of the English clergy and ] to appeal to Rome on matters of ], ]s and ]s, and gave authority over such matters to the Archbishops of Canterbury and ]. This finally allowed ], Archbishop of Canterbury, to issue Henry's annulment, Upon procuring it, Henry married ]. Henry VIII was ] by Pope Clement VII in 1533.
⚫	Henry first asked for an annulment in 1527. After various failed initiatives he stepped up the pressure on Rome, in the summer of 1529, by compiling a manuscript from ancient sources proving in law that spiritual supremacy rested with the monarch, and that Papal authority was illegal. In 1539 Henry first challenged the Pope when he demanded 100,000 Pounds Sterling from the clergy in exchange for a royal pardon for their illegal jurisdiction, and that he should be recognised as their sole protector and supreme head. Henry VIII was recognized by the clergy as supreme head of the Church of England on 11 February 1531, however in 1532 he was still attempting to seek a compromise with the Pope.

		⚫	In ] the ] removed the right of all appeals to Rome, effectively ending the Pope's influence. Henry was confirmed by statute as ''Supreme Head of the Church of England'' by the first Act of Supremacy in ].
⚫	In May[1532 the Church of England agreed to surrender their legislative independence and canon law to the authority of the monarch. In 1533 the Statute of Appeals removed the right of the English clergy and laity to appeal to Rome on matters of matrimony, ~~tithes~~ and ~~oblations~~, and gave authority over such matters to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. This finally allowed Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, to issue Henry's annulment, ~~and upon~~ procuring it, married Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII was excommunicated by Pope Clement VII in 1533.

		⚫	Becoming the head of the church not only made it possible for Henry to divorce but also gave him access to the considerable wealth that the Church had amassed, and ] launched a commission of enquiry into the nature and value of all ecclesiastical property in ], which was followed by the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
⚫	In 1534 the Act of Submission of the Clergy removed the right of all appeals to Rome, effectively ending the Pope's influence. Henry was confirmed by statute as ''Supreme Head of the Church of England'' by the first Act of Supremacy in 1536.

		⚫	==Protestantism==
⚫	Becoming the head of the church not only made it possible for Henry to divorce but also gave him access to the considerable wealth that the Church had amassed, and Thomas Cromwell launched a commission of enquiry into the nature and value of all ecclesiastical property in 1535, which was followed by the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
		⚫	At the time of schism with Rome, the Church of England was not Protestant in nature. Indeed, Henry himself had been awarded the title of ''fidei defensor'' (defender of the faith) by ] for attacking such views. Consequently only minor changes in ] were made during Henry's reign.

		⚫	This was however at a time of the major religious upheaval in ] called the ] and once the ] had occured, some Protestant reform was probably inevitable.
⚫	===Protestantism===

		⚫	Under Henry's son, ], the first major changes to the church were made, including thoroughgoing revision of the liturgy along Protestant lines. The resulting ] was issued in ] and revised in ], and was issued by authority of ].
⚫	At the time of schism with Rome, the Church of England was not Protestant in nature. Indeed, Henry himself had been awarded the title of ''fidei defensor'' (defender of the faith) by Pope Leo X for attacking such views. Consequently only minor changes in liturgy were made during Henry's reign.

		⚫	Following the death of Edward, the Catholic ] came to the throne. She renounced the Henrician and Edwardian changes, and re-established unity with Rome. Upon her death in ], her sister ] came to power. Elizabeth was a determined Protestant, and re-established the Royal Supremacy over the Church, and then in ] a new Book of Common Prayer was issued. Elizabeth presided over the "]", an attempt to harmonize the Puritan and Catholic forces in England.
⚫	This was however at a time of major religious upheaval in Western Europe called the Protestant Reformation and once the schism had occured, some ~~protestant~~ reform was probably inevitable.

		⚫	During the ], the ascendant ] replaced the ] government of the Church with a ] form, but retained the principle of ultimate state control of religious matters. When ] came to power, the Episcopalian government was re-established, and the Book of Common Prayer was issued in a new revision in ].
⚫	Under Henry's son, Edward VI of England, the first major changes to the church were made, including thoroughgoing revision of the liturgy along Protestant lines. The resulting Book of Common Prayer was issued in 1549 and revised in 1552, and was issued by authority of Parliament.

		⚫	==Recent Developments==
⚫	Following the death of Edward, the Catholic Mary I of England came to the throne. She renounced the Henrician and Edwardian changes, and re-established unity with Rome. Upon her death in 1558, her sister Elizabeth I of England came to power. Elizabeth was a determined Protestant, and re-established the Royal Supremacy over the Church, and then in 1559 a new Book of Common Prayer was issued. Elizabeth presided over the "Elizabethan Settlement", an attempt to harmonize the Puritan and Catholic forces in England.
		⚫	On ] ] the Church of England ordained its first female priests.

⚫	During the Interregnum, the ascendant Puritans replaced the Episcopalian government of the Church with a Presbyterian form, but retained the principle of ultimate state control of religious matters. When Charles II of England came to power, the Episcopalian government was re-established, and the Book of Common Prayer was issued in a new revision in 1662.

⚫	===Recent Developments===

⚫	On 12 March 1994 the Church of England ordained its first female priests.

⚫	===Supreme Governors of the Church of England===

		⚫	==Supreme Governors of the Church of England==
	* ] (]-])		* ] (]-])
	* ] (]-])		* ] (]-])
Line 65:		Line 60:
	* ] (]-)		* ] (]-)

	===Other Anglican branches in communion with the See of Canterbury===		==Other Anglican branches in communion with the See of Canterbury==
		⚫	Related branches in the Church of England's Anglican Communion of Churches include the ], ], ] and the ]. Overall the Anglican Communion of Churches has a worldwide membership of over 80 million members in 37 national branches. It is the second largest Christian denomination (after the Roman Catholic Church) and the largest Protestant denomination.

⚫	Related branches in the Church of England's Anglican Communion of Churches include the Episcopal Church in Scotland, Church of Wales, Church of Ireland and the Episcopal Church in United States. Overall the Anglican Communion of Churches has a worldwide membership of over 80 ~~millions~~ members in 37 national branches. It is the second largest Christian denomination (after the Roman Catholic Church) and the largest Protestant denomination.

		⚫	'''See also:''' ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
	===See also===
⚫	], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]

Revision as of 01:49, 23 September 2003

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and is the mother branch of the the worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches.

Although Christians were present in England since the 4th century or earlier, the Church of England traces its roots to Augustine of Canterbury, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, in the 7th century.

The Church of England retains a form of worship closer to the Roman Catholic form than other Protestant churches. For example, the church has a hierarchical organization.

The head of the Church of England is officially the reigning monarch, but its effective chief cleric remains the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. It has its own court system known as the Ecclesiastical Courts.

In addition to England proper, the jurisdiction of the Church of England extends to the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and many congregations on the continent of Europe known as the Diocese of Europe.

Schism with Rome

The English Church was in union with Rome until the reign of Henry VIII. The break with Rome came when Pope Clement VII refused, over a period of years, to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, not as a matter of principle, but because he was living in fear of Catherine's nephew, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Henry first asked for an annulment in 1527. After various failed initiatives he stepped up the pressure on Rome, in the summer of 1529, by compiling a manuscript from ancient sources proving in law that spiritual supremacy rested with the monarch, and that Papal authority was illegal. In 1539 Henry first challenged the Pope when he demanded 100,000 Pounds Sterling from the clergy in exchange for a royal pardon for their illegal jurisdiction, and that he should be recognised as their sole protector and supreme head. Henry VIII was recognized by the clergy as supreme head of the Church of England on 11 February 1531, however in 1532 he was still attempting to seek a compromise with the Pope.

In May 1532 the Church of England agreed to surrender their legislative independence and canon law to the authority of the monarch. In 1533 the Statute of Appeals removed the right of the English clergy and laity to appeal to Rome on matters of matrimony, tithes and oblations, and gave authority over such matters to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. This finally allowed Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, to issue Henry's annulment, Upon procuring it, Henry married Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII was excommunicated by Pope Clement VII in 1533.

In 1534 the Act of Submission of the Clergy removed the right of all appeals to Rome, effectively ending the Pope's influence. Henry was confirmed by statute as Supreme Head of the Church of England by the first Act of Supremacy in 1536.

Becoming the head of the church not only made it possible for Henry to divorce but also gave him access to the considerable wealth that the Church had amassed, and Thomas Cromwell launched a commission of enquiry into the nature and value of all ecclesiastical property in 1535, which was followed by the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Protestantism

At the time of schism with Rome, the Church of England was not Protestant in nature. Indeed, Henry himself had been awarded the title of fidei defensor (defender of the faith) by Pope Leo X for attacking such views. Consequently only minor changes in liturgy were made during Henry's reign.

This was however at a time of the major religious upheaval in Western Europe called the Protestant Reformation and once the schism had occured, some Protestant reform was probably inevitable.

Under Henry's son, Edward VI, the first major changes to the church were made, including thoroughgoing revision of the liturgy along Protestant lines. The resulting Book of Common Prayer was issued in 1549 and revised in 1552, and was issued by authority of Parliament.

Following the death of Edward, the Catholic Mary I came to the throne. She renounced the Henrician and Edwardian changes, and re-established unity with Rome. Upon her death in 1558, her sister Elizabeth I came to power. Elizabeth was a determined Protestant, and re-established the Royal Supremacy over the Church, and then in 1559 a new Book of Common Prayer was issued. Elizabeth presided over the "Elizabethan Settlement", an attempt to harmonize the Puritan and Catholic forces in England.

During the Interregnum, the ascendant Puritans replaced the Episcopalian government of the Church with a Presbyterian form, but retained the principle of ultimate state control of religious matters. When Charles II came to power, the Episcopalian government was re-established, and the Book of Common Prayer was issued in a new revision in 1662.

Recent Developments

On 12 March 1994 the Church of England ordained its first female priests.

Supreme Governors of the Church of England

Other Anglican branches in communion with the See of Canterbury

Related branches in the Church of England's Anglican Communion of Churches include the Episcopal Church in Scotland, Church of Wales, Church of Ireland and the Episcopal Church in United States. Overall the Anglican Communion of Churches has a worldwide membership of over 80 million members in 37 national branches. It is the second largest Christian denomination (after the Roman Catholic Church) and the largest Protestant denomination.