The change in British Prime Minister hasn't dampened the debate surrounding the independence of the church from British politics.
Politics and Religion
Along with prostitution, politics and religion are two of the oldest institutions in the world; and along with money, they probably cause the most arguments. But there has been a long-running debate, over many centuries, about how close politics and religion should be.
In a complete contrast from American politics and in the biggest change since the time of Henry VIII, the church and British politics might see the largest separation it’s known for centuries.
Recent Events in Britain
The change of Prime Minister in Britain has sparked different ideas about the future relationship between politics and religion and which direction they will take.
In his final week in power, Tony Blair made a much-publicised visit to the Pope in Rome, which began rumours of a conversion to Catholicism once he had left office. This is something which has occasionally been in the spotlight since he became Prime Minister in 1997, especially since his wife and children are Catholics, but it’s something he has always denied. As it turned out, he spent the usual 20 minutes with the pontiff and was unlikely to have discussed anything out of the ordinary.
In Gordon Brown’s first weeks in charge of the country, one of the royal prerogatives he has vowed to give up is choosing the next Church of England bishops. This includes the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England and spiritual guider of around 70 million Anglicans across the globe. This would also mean removing the right of bishops to take their seats in the House of Lords, Britain’s senior House of Parliament. One of the reasons behind this decision is because Mr Brown wants his government to be seen to represent all faiths rather than being tied to the Church of England.
The Debate
Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and a former vicar, said: "I think it would be far better if the Church was independent of the power of the prime minister." Church leaders also gave the proposal their broad support, although some weren’t as happy about the lack of consultation.
However, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, played down the impact of the reforms yesterday and pointed out that the new arrangements for choosing bishops had originally been proposed by the Church itself 33 years ago.
But some clerics said that the removal of Downing Street from the process of choosing bishops and deans could further concentrate power in the hands of a few senior people. Canon David Holding, a Synod member, said: "This goes to the heart of the Church/state relationship. It has huge implications…It will threaten the diversity of senior appointments and could well lead to the old boy network running riot."
