CHURCH OF ENGLAND. The act of 26 Henry VIII. recognized the king as being the only supreme head oft earth of the Church of England, having the power to correct all errors, heresies, abuses, offences, contempts and enormities.
In 1531, Henry was acknowledged by Con vocation as "Protector and Supreme Head of the English Church and Clergy," "so far as the law of Christ allowed." The Church of England is governed In ternally by means of its Convocation of bish ops and clergy ; there is one for each prov ince, Canterbury and York. Each consists of two houses ; the upper, composed of archbishops and bishops ; the lower, com posed of deans of every cathedral, the arch deacons with proctors elected from every chapter and two or more elected by the clergy of the diocese of the province of Cant erbury, and by every archdeacon in the province of York.
The name Convocation is specifically giv en to the assembly of the spirituality of the realm of England. It is summoned by the metropolitan archbishops of Canterbury and of York, respectively, within their ecclesias tical provinces, pursuant to a royal writ, whenever the Parliament of the realm is summoned, and is continued or discharged, as the case may be, whenever the Parlia ment is prorogued or dissolved.
The present constitution of the Convoca tion of the Prelates and Clergy of the prov ince of Canterbury was recognized as early as 1283 as its normal constitution, and in extorting recognition-from the crown, which the clergy accomplished by refusing to attend unless summoned in lawful man ner (debit° modo) through their metropol itan, the clergy of the province of Canter bury taught the laity the possibility of main taining the freedom of the nation against the encroachments of the royal power.
The form of the royal writ, which it is customary to issue in the present day to the metropolitan of each province, is identi cal in its purport with the writ issued by the crown In 1283 to the metropolitan of the province of Canterbury. The existing con stitution of the Convocation of the province of Canterbury—and the same is true of the province of York—in respect of its compris ing representatives of the chapters and of the beneficed clergy, In addition to the bish ops and other dignitaries of the church, would thus appear to be of even more an dent date than the existing constitution of the Parliament of the realm.
It was decreed during the time of Henry VI. that the prelates and other clergy, with their servants and attendants, when called to the Convocation pursuant to the king's writ, should enjoy the same liberties and de fence as when summoned to the king's Par liament.
In 1717, in pursuance of a royal writ, Con vocation was prorogued and no license from the crown was granted to Convocation to proceed to business until 1861.
In 1872 Convocation was empowered by the crown to frame resolutions on the sub ject of public worship, which resolutions Were afterwards incorporated in the Act of Uniformity Amendment Act.
To Convocation in later years has been added the House of Laymen, for both prov inces, which, to a certain extent, secured the co-operation of the lay element. It is elected for every new Parliament, by Dio cesan Conferences, who are in turn elected by the laity. In 1896, joint sessions of both Convocations, in conjunction with the Houses of Laymen, for consultative purposes, were held. This body is now termed the Repre sentative Church Council and has adopted a constitution ; all formal business is how ever, transacted in the separate Convoca tions.
The crown has the right to nominate to vacant sees. In cases of sees of old founda tion, this is-done by means of a congd d'61ire ; in that of all others, by letters patent. The usual selection of bishops is in the hands of the Prime Minister, but it is usual now to select those approved by public opinion.
Bishops hold their temporalities as bar ons, and are spiritual members of Parlia ment. Only twenty-six have the right to seats in the House of Lords, of which five, the two archbishops and the bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, always sit, the others taking their seats in order of ' seniority of confirmation. See Encycl. Brit.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the highest court of appeal in ecclesiastical cases.
The Church of Ireland was by the Act of Union, 1800, united with the Church of Eng land. By the disestablishment act of 1869, this union was severed, and on January 1, 1871, the Church of Ireland became inde pendent. The supreme governing board of the Church of Ireland is the church Synod, which meets annually. There are also twen ty-three dioceses and Synods which are con stituted by similar elective bodies called di ocesan councils. The bishop of the diocese is chosen by the clerical and lay members of the diocesan Synod. The Primate is chosen by the House of Bishops from among their own number.