The House of Commons is taking all stages of a bill to allow Lady Elish Angiolini, who is a Roman Catholic, to be Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly
Reference to disestablishment in Wales reminds me that Presteigne - where my grandfather was vicar in the 1950s - had a referendum in 1915 (along with a number of other parishes) about whether to stay in the diocese of Hereford and the Church of England, even though the church is just over the border in Wales.
It seems odd to go to the trouble of rushing an Act through Parliament and not take the opportunity to remove some of the other offices from the list e.g. Lord Chancellor. Is there any religion other than Roman Catholicism whose adherents are prohibited by law from holding the office of Lord Chancellor (i.e. head of the Judiciary in the UK)?
The Lord Chancellor is no longer head of the judiciary: that role was passed to the Lord Chief Justice. Actually it's complicated: the Lord Chancellor (Tenure of Office and Discharge of Ecclesiastical Duties) Act 1974 says a Roman Catholic can be Lord Chancellor, but the role remains on the face of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 as one which Catholics cannot occupy. The only others left are "guardians and justices of the United Kingdom, or of regent of the United Kingdom, under whatever name, style, or title such office may be constituted". Otherwise, once the Lord High Commissioner is removed, that'll be it.
As for other religions, no, it's only Roman Catholicism. The Test Acts etc used to require you to be a communicant member of the Church of England, but the specific legal disabilities, for historical reasons, are only against Roman Catholics.
Interesting, though hardly surprising, that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was a reserved role. As the final one, Viscount Fitzalan, was Catholic, I wonder when this particular disallowance was repealed.
Reference to disestablishment in Wales reminds me that Presteigne - where my grandfather was vicar in the 1950s - had a referendum in 1915 (along with a number of other parishes) about whether to stay in the diocese of Hereford and the Church of England, even though the church is just over the border in Wales.
It seems odd to go to the trouble of rushing an Act through Parliament and not take the opportunity to remove some of the other offices from the list e.g. Lord Chancellor. Is there any religion other than Roman Catholicism whose adherents are prohibited by law from holding the office of Lord Chancellor (i.e. head of the Judiciary in the UK)?
The Lord Chancellor is no longer head of the judiciary: that role was passed to the Lord Chief Justice. Actually it's complicated: the Lord Chancellor (Tenure of Office and Discharge of Ecclesiastical Duties) Act 1974 says a Roman Catholic can be Lord Chancellor, but the role remains on the face of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 as one which Catholics cannot occupy. The only others left are "guardians and justices of the United Kingdom, or of regent of the United Kingdom, under whatever name, style, or title such office may be constituted". Otherwise, once the Lord High Commissioner is removed, that'll be it.
As for other religions, no, it's only Roman Catholicism. The Test Acts etc used to require you to be a communicant member of the Church of England, but the specific legal disabilities, for historical reasons, are only against Roman Catholics.
Interesting, though hardly surprising, that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was a reserved role. As the final one, Viscount Fitzalan, was Catholic, I wonder when this particular disallowance was repealed.