II. The Christian denominations of the UK
Religion is an integral part of the British society. Though one can find a great variety of religious denominations in the UK, there are still two major officially recognized Churches:
Á The Anglican Church (the Church of England)
Á The Presbyterian Church (the Church of Scotland)
The clergy of both churches as well as other denominations are appointed and work in some State services (armed forces, hospitals, etc.). For their service they are paid a salary.
| The Church of the UK | ||
| The Anglican Church (the Church of England) | The Presbyterian Church (the Church of Scotland) | |
| the leader of the Church | the Queen = the Head of the Church | the General Assembly = functions on the national level meets annually in Edinburgh, in May |
| administration of the Church | 2 Archbishops York Canterbury 24 senior bishops (sit in the House of Lords) 18 bishops | the Kirk Session = a council of elders and ministers/ priests functions on the local level |
| governing body | the Central/ General Synod * | the General Assembly |
| administrative division | Dioceses (head = bishop; has a cathedral) Parishes (head = vicar + curate) | |
| admission to priesthood | both men and women (since 1994) are admitted to the clergy but women still cannot become clergy of higher ranks | both men and women (since 1994) are admitted to the clergy |
| the number of believers | 27 million | ≈ 860,000 |
* The Central/ General Synod is a legislative body of the Church of England. Synod can create two types of legislation, Measures and Canons. Measures of Synod have to be approved but cannot be amended by the UK Parliament before receiving the Royal Assent and becoming part of the law of England. Canons require Royal Licence and Royal Assent, but form the law of the Church, rather than the law of the land.
The Roman Catholic Church
Once very powerful, the Roman Catholic Church in the UK has lost its grandeur. It was restored in 1850 and is still one of the leading ones. The Structure of the church:
| the Roman Catholic Church | |
| the leader of the Church | the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster |
| administrative division | 7 Catholic Provinces (headed by an archbishop) Dioceses (headed by bishops) |
| admission to priesthood | only men are admitted |
| the number of believers | ≈ 6 million |