Peter Lineham describes the relationship between the UK government and the Church of England in which Charles III makes his coronation oath.

England is a world of anachronisms. The state which pioneered representative government and political responsibility maintains the trappings of nobility and monarchy when most other European states have rejected these. The greatest of these anachronisms is the entanglement of the monarchy with the Church of England. It makes no sense, and yet it remains firmly wedged in the symbolic world of British tradition.

Coronation Oath a Symbol

The Coronation potently is at the heart of the link between Church and state. At the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, the archbishops of Canterbury and York officiated at the service and presented her with the terms before she swore the coronation oath:

"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law?

"Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England?

"And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?"

The history behind these questions makes it unlikely the words will be changed when Charles III is enthroned.

Monarch as Supreme Governor of Church

Ironically it was the Pope who conferred the title Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) on Henry VIII — the expression of the religious aspect of the British monarchy. But Henry VIII did not defend the faith, he transformed it to a body forced to authorise his divorce, and from his day the monarch has been the supreme governor of the Church.

Church Self-Governance

At the time of the Reformation, Parliament rather than the Church’s Convocation was used to redefine the doctrine and order of the Church of England. In 1919 parliamentary legislation at last authorised the Church to govern itself, although Parliament refused to authorise the 1928 revision of the Prayer Book.

Church Role Today

Since 1969 the Church has been governed by its General Synod and parliament has not been inclined to interfere. But the appointment of bishops is made by the monarch (or in effect the Prime Minister's Department) since 26 of them sit in the House of Lords.

In 2007 the method of appointment was amended, so that the Church presents two names to the Prime Minister and the first name has so far been selected. So the established Church has slowly evolved into relative independence, but it still plays a privileged role in English life.

Established Church a State Church

This idea of an established Church — recognised by law as the official Church of a nation — goes back to the time of the Emperor Constantine and the Catholic Church still holds a parallel role in some states. The original Protestant Churches of Northern Europe have largely retained their role as state Churches.

In the Nordic countries the relationship has been changing in recent years, with Finland reducing the role of the Lutheran Church in 1867, Sweden secularising in 2000 and Norway in 2017.

In the UK, the Irish Anglican Church was disestablished in 1871 and that of Wales in 1920, and the Church of Scotland has always operated differently. Debate over the nature of the establishment regularly surfaces both in the state and in the Church, especially now when so few people attend church and when political leaders can be of any religion.

Church’s Role in Coronation

The Coronation, however, shows that symbolically the link is still strong. The most astonishing aspect of this is the anointing of the monarch. Under a gold canopy, the monarch removes their royal robes, revealing a plain white garment. The monarch is then anointed with holy oil on hands, breast and head. (No changes are likely this year, for the anointing oil has already been sent from Jerusalem.) The anointing is essentially like the ordination of priests. The hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus is sung, and the words used in 1953 were:

Bless and sanctify thy chosen servant ELIZABETH,
who by our office and ministry
is now to be anointed with this Oil,
and consecrated Queen:
Strengthen her, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter;
Confirm and stablish her with thy free and princely Spirit, ….

Certainly, other religious groups will participate in the 2023 ceremony, but according to palace statements the ceremony will be "rooted in long-standing traditions", it will also "reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future."

So the key rite will be administered by the Church of England. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have recently, in a pastoral letter, told their congregations that: “The Church of England has the great privilege of a role at the heart of our national, local and community events.

That also means we get to work in partnership with those around us — so do consider reaching out to other communities, traditions and groups and doing something together.”

No Change to Oath

The King commented years ago that he preferred to be “defender of faith” rather than “defender of the faith”, but the monarch is inevitably a traditionalist and technically, it would require a parliamentary agreement to change the nature of the oath. Perhaps it is impossible for monarchy to exist without a religion willing to sacralise it.

These days less than 3 per cent of English people regularly attend the Church of England, and over the past few years the Church of England’s role in British society has steadily reduced.

There are awkward issues for the state church, for example, over same-sex marriage. An MP introduced a bill into the British Parliament a few weeks ago “to enable clergy of the Church of England to conduct same-sex marriages on Church of England premises”, overriding church regulations.

He argued that “The monarch is its Supreme Governor; its bishops are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister and sit in the other place; it runs thousands of schools across England. With those privileges of establishment comes a duty to serve the whole nation—to be there for all citizens.”

It is troubling when a national Church is out of step with its nation. But Anglicanism tends to survive. At the end of March there was a further debate in the House of Commons on Christianity in Society.

The resolution passed was rather anaemic: “That this House has considered Christianity in society”. Regrettably, here is the paradox of a privileged Christian Church in a secular society struggling to have an authentic Christian voice when it seeks to speak into the world of politics.

The Anglican Church in New Zealand lost its established role in 1856 and operates completely independently from the state. Yet it, too, tends to shy from political comment, preferring the pastoral to the prophetic.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 281 May 2023: 8-9