Britain’s Official Christianity: Forgotten Foundations

Britain’s Official Christianity: Forgotten Foundations

Few today realise that the United Kingdom is not merely historically Christian but constitutionally and legally Christian. Despite rapid secularisation and the dominance of “diversity” rhetoric in public discourse, the foundations of the British state remain rooted in the faith of the Gospel.

The monarchy itself is inseparable from Christianity. By law, the Sovereign must be in communion with the Church of England, and at coronation the monarch swears a solemn oath to uphold the Protestant Reformed religion and to protect the Church as established by law¹. The Crown cannot pass to a non-Christian; in fact, Catholics are explicitly barred from the throne under the Act of Settlement (1701), a restriction still in force².

Parliament, too, is built upon Christian allegiance. All Members of Parliament and peers must swear the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown before taking their seats³. Even where affirmations are permitted, the principle remains: allegiance is sworn to a monarch whose very office is bound by Christian duty. The House of Lords includes bishops of the Church of England as Lords Spiritual, a unique constitutional recognition of the Church’s role in governance⁴.

Public life retains these marks as well. The State Opening of Parliament begins with Christian prayers; Remembrance ceremonies are framed by Scripture; and great national occasions—from coronations to royal funerals—are conducted with the language and liturgy of the Church.

It is therefore misleading to claim that Britain was built on “diversity.” While immigration and cultural exchange have long been part of British history, the values, laws, and institutions of the UK rest firmly upon Christianity. The very structure of monarchy, Parliament, and public life demonstrates this reality.

To forget these foundations—or worse, to actively erode them in the name of “multiculturalism”—is to invite national amnesia. A country cannot long endure if it denies the faith that shaped its institutions, formed its laws, and inspired its vision of justice and liberty.

Britain is, in truth, still officially a Christian country. The question is whether her people will continue to live by that truth. And here Catholics have a special duty: though historically excluded from the constitution, today they must bear faithful witness to the fullness of the Gospel and play their part in the re-Christianisation of the nation, calling Britain back to the faith that alone secures its future.

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1. Coronation Oath Act 1688 (1 Will. & Mar. c. 6) – requires the monarch to swear to maintain “the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law” and to preserve the settlement of the Church of England.
2. Act of Settlement 1701 (12 & 13 Will. 3 c. 2) – stipulates that no “Papist” or person married to a Catholic can inherit the Crown.
3. Promissory Oaths Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 72) – sets out the Oath of Allegiance, required of MPs and peers before taking their seats.
4. The House of Lords includes 26 bishops of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual, under the Bishoprics Act 1878 and other statutory provisions.