The Church of England is the official, established church of England and the mother church of the Anglican Communion, a family of churches spread across the world. Born from Henry VIII's break with Rome in the 16th century, it describes itself as both catholic and reformed. For its history see the history of the Anglican Church.
A state church
Its tie to the state is unique in western Europe. The sovereign, today King Charles III, is the Supreme Governor of the church and at the coronation swears to uphold it. Bishops are formally appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister, who chooses from names put forward by a church commission, and 26 bishops sit by right in the House of Lords, the so-called Lords Spiritual (see Parliament). Church laws, Measures, approved by its internal parliament, the General Synod, must receive the approval of Parliament at Westminster. The established church exists only in England, however: in Wales the Anglican church was disestablished in 1920, in Ireland as early as 1871, while in Scotland the national church is Presbyterian (see the Presbyterian Church).
Organisation
The church is divided into two provinces, Canterbury and York, each led by an archbishop, and 42 dioceses, with about 12,500 parishes and 16,000 churches, many of them medieval monuments. Its spiritual leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury, also regarded as first among equals in the worldwide Anglican Communion. In March 2026 Sarah Mullally, a former nurse and former Chief Nursing Officer for England, then Bishop of London, was installed at Canterbury Cathedral as the 106th Archbishop, the first woman to lead the church in its history. She succeeded Justin Welby, who resigned in November 2024 after an independent review into the handling of an abuse case.
Faith and liturgy
The Church of England retains many elements of Catholicism, such as bishops, sacraments and solemn liturgy, but embraces Protestant principles: it recognises the authority of the Bible, does not recognise that of the Pope, and allows priests to marry. Its reference texts are the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1571 and the Book of Common Prayer of 1662, the prayer book in solemn English that profoundly influenced the language. Very different strands coexist within it: the High Church, or Anglo-Catholic, close to Catholicism in ritual and vestments; the evangelical wing, more Protestant and centred on preaching; and a liberal wing. Since 1994 women have been able to become priests and since 2014 bishops. Divisions over issues such as sexuality remain sharp: in 2023 the Synod approved prayers of blessing for same-sex couples, while not marrying them.
The Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion has about 85 million members in more than 160 countries, organised into 42 autonomous provinces. It spread with the British Empire, and today most of its members live in Africa, especially Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya. Roughly every ten years the bishops meet at the Lambeth Conference, called by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In recent years the more conservative churches, especially in Africa, have distanced themselves from Canterbury, and the appointment of a woman in 2025 deepened this rift.
A church in decline but still present
Like other European churches, the Church of England is losing worshippers: Sunday attendance now involves less than 2% of the population, and at the 2021 census, for the first time, Christians in England and Wales fell below half the population. Yet the church remains present at great national moments, from coronations to state funerals, runs about a quarter of English primary schools, and its village churches and great cathedrals, from Canterbury to York, remain a much-loved heritage.
See also Henry VIII, the British monarchy and Canterbury.