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Church of Ireland

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The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is the largest Protestant Church in the Republic of Ireland and the second largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland.

The church considers itself to be in direct succession from Ireland's ancient Celtic Christianity. When Henry VIII and the Church of England broke with the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland underwent Reformation; and so the Church remains heir, in its cathedrals and churches, to much of the island's medieval heritage. Although the Roman Catholic Church remained the church of the majority of the populace, the Church of Ireland was the established church until 1871.

History

The Church of Ireland traces back to the ancient Celtic Church in Ireland and Britain. This claim, though widely repeated, is unsupported by historical record and appears to be a late medieval construction intended to bolster the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

A monastically-centred institution, the Celtic Church had a unique calendar and usages, but was a full part of the wider Western Church, retaining a strong focus on pilgrimage to Rome. In 1166, by order of the Pope, Henry II of England came to Ireland and was made "Overlord" of Ireland.

In 1536 Henry VIII had the Irish Parliament declare him head of the Irish Church, therefore breaking with the Papacy. When the Church of England travelled in a more Protestant direction under Edward VI so too did the Church of Ireland; unlike in England, however, Roman Catholicism remained the majority religion in Ireland.

As before the Reformation, some clergymen of the Irish Church sat as Lords Spiritual in the Irish House of Lords; under the provisions of the Act of Union 1800, one archbishop and the three bishops chosen by rotation would be Lords Spiritual in the newly united United Kingdom House of Lords in Westminster, joining the two archbishops (Canterbury and York) and the twenty-four bishops from the Church of England.

The Church of Ireland is historically closer to the teachings of Welsh-born St Patrick than the Church of Rome or any other of the Protestant denominations.

Though the religion of a minority of 21st Century Irish people, it remained the official religion of Ireland, until its disestablishment by an 1869 Act of Parliament came into effect in 1871. Previously, it had been funded by tithes, taxes that all, whether Anglican or not, were obliged to pay to it. The representation of the Church in the House of Lords also ceased.

To deal with its new situation, it made provision in 1870 for its own government (General Synod) and financial management (Representative Church Body). Like other Irish churches, it did not divide when Ireland was partitioned in 1920, and continues to be governed on an all-island basis, with twelve dioceses organized as two provinces (Armagh and Dublin).

The Church of Ireland today

The contemporary Church of Ireland, despite having a number of High Church (often described as Anglo-Catholic) parishes, is generally on the Protestant end of the spectrum of world Anglicanism. Historically, it had little of the difference in churchmanship between parishes characteristic of other Anglican Provinces, although a number of more markedly liberal, High Church or evangelical parishes have developed in recent decades. It was the second province of the Anglican Communion after the Anglican Church of New Zealand (1857) to adopt, on its 1871 disestablishment, synodical government, and was one of the first provinces to ordain women to the priesthood, in 1991.

The Church is structured on a model inherited from pre-Reformation times. The Primate of All Ireland is the Archbishop of Armagh, whose seat is the medieval Saint Patrick's Anglican Cathedral, Armagh. (There is also a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and a Victorian Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Armagh.) The Church is organised on diocesan or bishopric lines. The Archbishop of Dublin, like his Catholic counterpart, is called the Primate of Ireland. The existence of two primates is quite unrelated to the political division of the island, predating this by several centuries; and the boundary between their provinces does not follow the political boundary.

Canon law and Church policy are decided by its General Synod, and changes in policy must be passed by both the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives (Clergy and Laity). Important changes, e.g. the decision to ordain female priests, must be passed by two-thirds majorities. While the House of Representatives always votes publicly, often by orders, the House of Bishops has tended to vote in private, coming to a decision before matters reach the floor of the Synod. This practice has been broken only once, when in 1999 the House of Bishops voted unanimously in public to endorse the efforts of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Diocese of Armagh and the Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland in their attempts to resolve the crisis at the Church of the Ascension at Drumcree, near Portadown.

The current Archbishop of Armagh is Archbishop Robin Eames, who is due to retire at the end of 2006. (He is also called Lord Eames, having been appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer). The Archbishop of Dublin is Archbishop John Neill.

The Church of Ireland experienced major decline during the 20th Century, both in Northern Ireland, where 75% of its members live, and in the Republic of Ireland. However, recent censuses shown an unexpected increase in Church Membership membership, the first in almost a century. This is largely explained by the great number of Anglican immigrants who moved to Ireland, particularly from Africa; but some parishes, especially in middle-class areas of the larger cities, report a number of former Roman Catholics joining. There are a number of clergy originally ordained for the Roman Catholic church who have now become Church of Ireland clergy. Ex-Roman Catholic lay members are amongst the most dedicated and active members of the church and many go forward for ordination.

The Church has two cathedrals in Dublin: within the walls of the old city is Christ Church Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop, and just outside the old walls is St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Church's National Cathedral of Ireland.

Current Bishops

  • Michael Mayes, Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilmacduagh and Emly

Irish Anglicans

Members of the Church of Ireland include or have included:

See also

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