Godsdienst

Christians constitute about 71% of the population, but Britain is a multi-faith society and all other religions, including; Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism are freely practised. 23% van de Britten hangt geen geloof aan.

Katholiek Groot-Brittannië

Before the reign of King Henry VIII, Britain was once a Roman Catholic country guided in religious matters by the Vatican in Rome. In 1533 richtte Henry VIII de Anglicaanse Kerk op toen het Vaticaan hem toestemming weigerde van zijn eerste vrouw te scheiden.

De ontwikkeling van de Anglicaanse Kerk

Henry was desperate for a male heir, and up until then his first wife had only borne daughters. When the Vatican refused to allow him to divorce his wife, he was infuriated and decided to established his own faith – Church of England – and appointed himself leader.

De Anglicaanse kerk vandaag

Catholicism had a short resurgence during the reign of Queen Mary (1553), but the Anglican Church was reinstated by Queen Elizabeth in 1558 and has been the official religion ever since. Today, every sovereign must swear to uphold and protect the Anglican faith and is expected to marry a protestant.

To find out more about Religion in Britain, visit National Statistics Online - Religion.