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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

A Catholic can now marry British monarch but may never become king or queen

Posted on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 08:55 AM
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Queen Elizabeth and Pope John Paul II

The decision by the British government to allow their monarch to marry a Catholic is only 400 years or so long in coming.

Up until last week's decision the monarch would absolutely lose the throne if a papist was his/her consort.

Just a papist mind you, a marriage with a Hindu, Muslim or Jewish person was not considered disqualifying

It was a remarkable piece of discrimination that lasted centuries and was originally brought in after Henry V111 dumped the church to create his own.

But the monarch himself/herself can never become a Catholic as that conflicts with their role as head of the Church of England.

Which really makes England a theocracy more than a monarchy in some ways.

It clearly means that the king or queen has to be an Anglican and will lose his/her crown if they decide to suddenly become a Buddhist.

Which is outright religious discrimination.

And even though they can now marry a Catholic what happens when they have children?

The Vatican always seeks for a child of a mixed marriage couple to be brought up a Catholic.

Which would of course disqualify that child from ever becoming the king or queen.

It could lead too an extraordinary stand off between church and state at some point in the future.

Which seems ridiculous in this day and age.


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29 comments

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DanOLoingsigh | Oct 31, 2011, 06:32 PM EDT
cillowen – don’t suppose we should mention the exclusionist ‘apartheid’ as practised by our esteemed GAA until recently…let alone the price paid by ordinary Irishmen for the IRA ‘Trigger for peace’?

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DanOLoingsigh | Oct 31, 2011, 06:22 PM EDT
There were Catholic monarchs after Henry, both from the Tudor and Stuart dynasties, not to mention the ‘Republican’ period of Cromwell, when the monarchy was dissolved. It was the Act of Settlement 1701 that required the monarch to be protestant. At the time, this was mainly to keep the autocratic, catholic Stuarts off the throne…so 310 years, not 400…and don’t they teach contributors the difference between too and to these days?

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cillowen | Oct 31, 2011, 05:56 PM EDT
Were it not for the IRA and subsequently their trigger for peace - methinks it would take many more moons before Brits got off of their apartheid way. Now they suited Willie as an Irish Guard with shamrock and harp festooned tunic. The symbols of Erin kept to prevent laughter by holding on to the norther sliver of the island of Ireland. Brilliant UKer crowd - so much so that paddies don't get it.

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cillowen | Oct 31, 2011, 05:49 PM EDT
Were it not for the IRA and sebsequently their trigger for peace - methinks it would take many more moons before Brits got off of their apartheid way.

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cillowen | Oct 31, 2011, 05:48 PM EDT
Were it not for the IRA and sebsequently their trigger for peace - methinks it would take many more moons before they got off of the apartheid way.

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jacersagain | Oct 31, 2011, 03:40 PM EDT
The sooner a Head of British monarchy relinquishes the title Head of the Anglican Church and returns to Roman Catholicism, as many Anglicans are already doing, the better for all mankind. The wordings of the Anglican Service and the Catholic Mass are so similar as to make true the sham of King Henry the VIII’s selfish decision.

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eileend | Oct 31, 2011, 02:24 PM EDT
Aw, heck, It's only been this way since Henry VIII. How much longer did the Catholic church have its own discrimination policies against Jews and Protestants?(bad enough you can't be king. How bout you're going to hell?) I"m waiting for the day one of the heirs comes home with Mary Margaret Murphy and seeing how the royals take that one.

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eileend | Oct 31, 2011, 02:06 PM EDT
JamieM in all seriousness, you are quite right. There will be hell play down the track wait and see. Papal interference and loyality to Rome will outweigh love. Canon Law and divorce will be interesting.

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Nicomax | Oct 31, 2011, 01:21 PM EDT
A made-up religion created to accommodate your desire to dump your old wife for the new 'hotty' in court, should not have been so picky about who else could join in the fun. Just because the Pope disagreed, mainly because it disrupted his power schemes, is not reason enough to exclude all Catholics for centuries to come.

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PhoenixZouave | Oct 31, 2011, 12:26 PM EDT
Well if you cut thru all Bull-Hockey, Guy Fawkes is still eligible since he was born in England

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CitizenWhy | Oct 31, 2011, 11:37 AM EDT
So what? The monarch is head of the Church of England. Until Disestablishment therefore should be Church of England/Church of Ireland or other churches affiliated with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The law on religion was changed because the monarch could marry a Muslim or a Hindu but not a Catholic. If you want to complain, insist that a Hundu, atheist or Muslim could become monarch and head of their church.

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johhnyb | Oct 31, 2011, 10:27 AM EDT
To take your complaint to its logical conclusion: You would require the head of the Church of England to be a Catholic. Why not have the Roman Catholic church set a wonderful example and appoint a Protestant as its next pope? Then you would be in a great position to criticize the Church of England. Seems a winning solution to me.

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Murph46 | Oct 31, 2011, 09:40 AM EDT
3 discrimination stories in a row!

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jamieLM | Oct 31, 2011, 09:19 AM EDT
The rule about the children of mixed marriages having to be raised Catholic is also religious discrimination. Why criticize England when MANY countries have rules about who can be married to a head of state and inherit the position in regard to religion? I suppose the Irish would be thrilled to have Protestants in all top Irish governmental positions. I'm not English and the English monarchy doesn't rule America, so I don't care what rules the English have about their monarchy. None of my business.

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