The Church of England

Republic commits itself to focusing on the principal issue of a republican constitution, and so we do not campaign on the issue of an established church. However we do believe that the notion of a state religion is incompatible with the notion of popular sovereignty and republican democracy. The established church is bound up with the institution of the monarchy and parliament (the C of E can appoint Bishops to the House of Lords). We therefore support the disestablishment of the Church of England and believe this would be inevitable in a republic.

Republic is not against religion or against any particular church, this is an argument about the need for a democratic republican constitution, not against religion. In fact there is a strong case to be made that the C of E would prosper if it were disestablished. It is a view apparently shared by the Archbishop of Canterbury himself. It should also be remembered, of course, that it is only in England that the Church enjoys such a privileged position. The Welsh Anglican church is disestablished and in Scotland the 'official' church has a very different relationship with the state.

We believe any organisation which aims to act as guide and guardian of the public moral compass cannot faithfully perform such a mandate while under the political influence of, and obligation to, Parliament. It is simply nonsensical that the most senior bishop in the church is appointed by the prime minister, regardless of the PM's own religious beliefs.

It is also wrong that one single religion should hold a privileged position in our constitution. The C of E is headed by the Queen, a role with comes with her job as head of state. The oath the Queen took when taking office was more about her duty to god than to the nation.

In addition to receiving special recognition and privileges through Parliament, the established Church of England also enjoys exclusive representation of its interests by 26 Bishops appointed to the House of Lords. These appointments are also made by the Prime Minister who exercises the monarch's powers.

Essentially we have an odd double act at the top of our constitution: the Archbishop is appointed by the monarch whose own power is derived through coronation by the Archbishop. The rest of the British public are left standing on the sidelines to watch.

No other religious group or association enjoys such privilege nor would it be tolerated. Yet Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Atheists and many others of differing beliefs continue to contribute to and participate in Britain's public domain, a national diversity often cited as a source of pride among Britons.

Many within the Church of England are openly in favour of disestablishment. Presently, all measures passed by the General Synod of the Church of England must be ratified by a House of Commons committee. Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, supports the removal of parliamentary intervention as a major advantage of disestablishment.

This view is shared by a number of bishops including the Rt Rev John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, and the Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill. The Bishop of Lichfield has accused Parliament of pushing through laws which lacked Christian values. Reverend Packer said in a recent interview, "I don't think Parliament can be described as supporting the Christian nature of our country and therefore I believe it's appropriate for the Church to have control of its own life. I would welcome anything which means that it doesn't look as though the Church is controlled by the state."

Other religious leaders have also expressed their strong support for disestablishment, including Ekklesia, a UK Christian think-tank. In fact, not only would an independent Church of England be free to better serve Anglican interests but Parliament would likewise be free to adopt legislation serving the best interests of its citizens without feeling the need to pander to the wishes of the official state religion.

The Government intends to loosen the ties between church and state with Gordon Brown's decision to relinquish the role of the prime minister in choosing bishops. Mr Brown hinted at lifting control of the ecclesiastical appointments in a speech to the Fabian Society last year. For the first time since the reign of King Henry VIII the church will be given the right to choose its own archbishops and bishops.

With the adoption of a republican constitution, with a new relationship between citizen and state based on popular sovereignty and equality, the break would go further. With the monarch gone and parliament fully elected the Church of England would lose its constitutional anchors. Like other religious organisations it would be internally self governing with no single church being either favoured or legislated by government.