Church blocks reforms in royal marriage law
A move by British government to scrap a centuries-old law that prevents members of the royal family from marrying Roman Catholics has reportedly been blocked by the Church of England. Under the 1701 Act of Settlement, heirs to the throne must renounce their claim on marrying a Roman Catholic in order to introduce full equality between the faiths.
As part of constitutional reforms, the government wanted to repeal the law, which many Roman Catholics complain as sectarian. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, who is responsible for matters of constitutional reform, held a series of talks with the Anglican Church in this regard. However, the plan to abolish the Act of Settlement was quietly shelved after the Church raised significant objections centring on the British sovereign’s dual role as Supreme Governor, the Daily Telegraph reported. “Church leaders expressed concern that if a future heir to the throne married a Roman Catholic, their children would be required by canon law to be brought up in that faith,” the newspaper said.
The reforms, Clegg suggested, also included steps to secure an agreement of the Commonwealth to end the common principle of male primogeniture, under which the younger sons of royalty have precedence over their older sisters. According to the newspaper, there is no similar prohibition on the royal family marrying members of other faiths such as Islam and Judaism, or those who are openly agnostic or atheist.
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