Religion in Britain

The Church of England is the offical religion in England. Was established in the 16th century under Henry VIII by the Act of Supremacy (1534). Henry VIII made the Church independent from Rome after the Pope refused to grant him a divorce from first wife Catherine who did not give him a son. He himself became the Head of the Church of England and since that time Catholicism has never been restored to England again. Thus, England has become one of the most importaant Protestant powers in Europe.
The Roman Catholic system of government is etained with archbishops, bishops etc. The senior clergy are appointed by the sovereing on the recommendation of the Primes Minister, and the Archbishop of Canterbury is the religious head of the Church of England. The followers of this religion are called Anglicans.
Apart from the Anglican church there are also Free Churches in Britain (?free? means that they are not ?established?). A good example is the Church of Scotland. Ulike the Church of England, it is free to control its own eligious matters and all its members have equal status. The church is locally governed by the so called ?Kirk Session? (the minister and some senior members of the Church).
The prevalent religion in Ireland used to be Catholicism. Howeve, since the English gained control of Northern Ireland, the Protestants have become a real power. Nowadays there are still conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. In the peiod of violence (known as the Troubles) more than 3000 people have died. Terrorist violence is mainly caused by the Catholic IRA (Irish Republican Army) and Prptestant UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force).
Althought the official religion in Britain is Christianity, there are also other growing religions in the United Kindom, among othes Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Judaism. In contrast to Christianis who rarely go to church, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews are more likely to pactise their religion.