Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom: Encyclopedia II - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Religious role

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Religious role

The Queen is the Sovereign "by Grace of God" and is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. As with her predecessors, the coronation itself took place within the context of a church service (at Westminster Abbey) imbued with theological as well as constitutional meaning. The Queen retains the ancient title Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) - a title first granted in 1521 by Pope Leo X to King Henry VIII prior to the Reformation. The Church of England remains the established church in England; archbishops and bishops are formally appointed by the Crown. The Queen takes a keen personal interest in the Church, but in practice delegates authority in the Church of England to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Queen regularly worships at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle or at St Mary Magdalene Church when staying at Sandringham House, Norfolk. Certain churches have royal patronage and are outside the normal diocesan administrative structures; these are known as Royal Peculiars.

The role of the Sovereign differs considerably in the other three countries of the United Kingdom. In Scotland the Church of Scotland (with a Presbyterian system of church government) is recognised in law as the "national church" in which the Queen is an ordinary member. The Royal Family regularly attend services at Crathie Kirk when holidaying at Balmoral Castle and attend at the Kirk of the Canongate when in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The Queen has attended the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on several occasions, most recently in 1977 and 2002, although in most years she appoints a Lord High Commissioner to represent her. Unusually for the Church of Scotland, Glasgow Cathedral and Dunblane Cathedral are both owned by the Crown.

In Wales, Northern Ireland and the other Realms, there is no official religion established by law. The Church in Wales and the Church of Ireland have both been disestablished.

The Queen made particular reference to her Christian convictions in her Christmas Day television broadcast in 2000, in which she spoke about the theological significance of the Millennium as the marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. "To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example."

The United Kingdom has become an increasingly multiethnic society with considerable diversity in religious practice. The Queen often meets with leaders from a wide range of religions. She is Patron of the Council of Christians & Jews (CCJ) in the UK. CCJ external link

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Religious role", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki