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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Archbishop sees benefit in split | Archbishop sees benefit in split |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The Archbishop of Canterbury has said separating the Church from the state would not be "the end of the world". | The Archbishop of Canterbury has said separating the Church from the state would not be "the end of the world". |
| Dr Rowan Williams said there would be benefits in the disestablishment of the Church of England. | Dr Rowan Williams said there would be benefits in the disestablishment of the Church of England. |
| There was a "certain integrity" in decisions made by the Church not having to be "nodded through by Parliament afterwards", he told the New Statesman. | There was a "certain integrity" in decisions made by the Church not having to be "nodded through by Parliament afterwards", he told the New Statesman. |
| However, Dr Williams rejected the idea of a disestablished Church in England in the near future. | However, Dr Williams rejected the idea of a disestablished Church in England in the near future. |
| 'State sanction' | 'State sanction' |
| Establishment of the Church of England - with the Queen at its head and the prime minister responsible for senior appointments - gives it special influence denied to other Churches but it also means laws passed by its governing synod have to be confirmed by Parliament. | Establishment of the Church of England - with the Queen at its head and the prime minister responsible for senior appointments - gives it special influence denied to other Churches but it also means laws passed by its governing synod have to be confirmed by Parliament. |
| At the moment the Church of England is in its established position... and I'd be very loathe to lose that Dr Rowan WilliamsArchbishop of Canterbury | At the moment the Church of England is in its established position... and I'd be very loathe to lose that Dr Rowan WilliamsArchbishop of Canterbury |
| Dr Williams, a former Archbishop of Wales, where the Church is disestablished, said: "I can see that it's by no means the end of the world if the establishment disappears. | Dr Williams, a former Archbishop of Wales, where the Church is disestablished, said: "I can see that it's by no means the end of the world if the establishment disappears. |
| "The strength of it is that the last vestiges of state sanction disappeared, so when you took a vote at the Welsh synod, it didn't have to be nodded through by Parliament afterwards. There is a certain integrity to that." | "The strength of it is that the last vestiges of state sanction disappeared, so when you took a vote at the Welsh synod, it didn't have to be nodded through by Parliament afterwards. There is a certain integrity to that." |
| He said he would oppose disestablishment if it was motivated by secularists "trying to push religion into the private sphere". | He said he would oppose disestablishment if it was motivated by secularists "trying to push religion into the private sphere". |
| 'Helpful umbrella' | 'Helpful umbrella' |
| Dr Williams told BBC News he did not want to see disestablishment happen at the moment. | Dr Williams told BBC News he did not want to see disestablishment happen at the moment. |
| "I see the case for it, and I certainly don't think the Church would be destroyed by disestablishment. | "I see the case for it, and I certainly don't think the Church would be destroyed by disestablishment. |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme | FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme |
| "I believe the Church exists because of God, not because of the state," he said. | "I believe the Church exists because of God, not because of the state," he said. |
| "At the moment the Church of England is in its established position, a helpful umbrella for other faith organisations, a foot in the door of secular society, and I'd be very loathe to lose that. | "At the moment the Church of England is in its established position, a helpful umbrella for other faith organisations, a foot in the door of secular society, and I'd be very loathe to lose that. |
| "I think society would lose from it as well." | "I think society would lose from it as well." |
| BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said it had been clear previously that Dr Williams favoured cutting the link at some point. | BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said it had been clear previously that Dr Williams favoured cutting the link at some point. |
| However establishment was so embedded in the nation's constitution that undoing it would take a considerable time, our correspondent added. | However establishment was so embedded in the nation's constitution that undoing it would take a considerable time, our correspondent added. |
| 'Unarguable case' | 'Unarguable case' |
| A spokesman for the Church of England said: "The government has repeatedly stressed the value it places on the establishment of the Church of England as something valued by people of all faiths and none. | A spokesman for the Church of England said: "The government has repeatedly stressed the value it places on the establishment of the Church of England as something valued by people of all faiths and none. |
| "The Church is honoured to perform this service to the nation, which embraces a wide range of aspects - from the parish system and bishops in the House of Lords, to church schools and helping the nation mark important events." | "The Church is honoured to perform this service to the nation, which embraces a wide range of aspects - from the parish system and bishops in the House of Lords, to church schools and helping the nation mark important events." |
| National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson said the case for disestablishment was "unarguable". | National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson said the case for disestablishment was "unarguable". |
| "The Church of England's claims to represent all religious interests in this country are patronising in the extreme," he said. | "The Church of England's claims to represent all religious interests in this country are patronising in the extreme," he said. |
| "The non-religious and those unconcerned with religion are now in the majority and their wishes are being increasingly sidelined." | "The non-religious and those unconcerned with religion are now in the majority and their wishes are being increasingly sidelined." |
| The Ministry of Justice, the government department with responsibility for constitutional matters, gave its support for the current position of the Church. | |
| A spokeswoman said: "The Church of England is by law established as the Church in England and the monarch is its Supreme Governor. | |
| "The government remains committed to this position and values the establishment of the Church of England." |