The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has found common cause with the Left-wing agitators camping outside St Paul’s, but he is less enamoured of a radical move by David Cameron.
The Prime Minister announced at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that the Government planned to scrap “outdated” laws which ban the spouse of a Roman Catholic from taking the throne.
Now, however, Dr Williams has raised concerns that allowing a future monarch to marry a Catholic could bring into question his or her role as the supreme governor of the Church of England.
“The constitutional question, of course the tough one, is the upbringing of any heir to the throne in an Anglican environment, given that the heir to the throne will be the supreme governor, under law, of the Church of England,” says the Archbishop in an interview with Vatican Radio.
“I think if we’re quite clear that, so long as the monarch is supreme governor of Church of England, there needs to be a clear understanding that the heir is brought up in that environment, all well and good.”
The historic change was agreed unanimously in Australia last week by the 16 nations of which the Queen is monarch.
Cameron said it did not “make any sense that a potential Monarch can marry someone of any faith other than Catholic”.
He added: “The thinking behind these rules is wrong. That’s why people have been talking about changing them for some time. We need to get on and do it.”
Cameron said it did not “make any sense that a potential Monarch can marry someone of any faith other than Catholic”.
He added: “The thinking behind these rules is wrong. That’s why people have been talking about changing them for some time. We need to get on and do it.”