Once again time proves us right. We knew this was an effective possibillity, it was only a matter of time really.
By Thomas Penny and Kitty Donaldson
Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- A ban on Roman Catholics becoming British monarchs and the precedence given to men over women in the succession to the throne needs to be overturned, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today.
Changing the law, which would need the agreement of the 16 Commonwealth Realms where the queen is head of state, may be discussed in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting starting in Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 27, Brown’s spokesman Simon Lewis said.
“The Act of Settlement is outdated and most people recognize the need for change,” Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons today. “Change can only be brought about, not only by the United Kingdom, but all the realms where her majesty is queen.”
The 1701 Act of Settlement means any Catholic marrying into the royal family must make a choice between abandoning Catholicism in favor of their spouse’s right to the throne. The law also places the sons of a monarch ahead of their sisters in the line of succession.
The queen is monarch in 16 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, according to the British Monarchy Web site. All 16 are members of the Commonwealth and will be present at the heads of government meeting.
The law is “state-sponsored sectarianism,” said Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in the U.K. “This conference provides an ideal forum for the prime minister to raise the issue and urge his colleagues from governments around the world to condemn, repeal.”
The former Autumn Kelly, the Canadian-born wife of Peter Phillips, the queen’s grandson, converted to the Church of England before their wedding last year so that he remained 11th in line to the throne. In 1978, the queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent was removed from the line of succession after marrying a Catholic.
To contact the reporters on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net; Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: November 25, 2009 12:59 EST
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2 comments:
Gordon Brown faces an election in the next six months. Is it far fetched to think that he likes to divert the public interest from the bad economic situation?
The Act of Settlement can be repealed, even if it's repealed for the wrong reason. At least Brown might recognize the justice of repealing the Law, besides, it's original purpose, to defend Protestant England from Catholicke invasion by preventing their Kings from marrying Catholic princesses whose male relatives might press a claim is no longer an issue. We don't know which is the greater non-issue, England's Established Church or the potential threat of invasion from Catholic Spain.
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