Scrap the Act of Settlement, says Anglican leader

BY FREDDY GRAY
THE INCOMING Primate of the Church of Ireland has called for the Act of Settlement to be reformed so that it no longer bars Catholics from acceding to the throne.
In an interview with the Irish Times, the Anglican Bishop Alan Harper said the ban against a Catholic monarch was outdated.
The primate-elect said the Act of Settlement, passed in 1701, "belongs to its time and we should move on", but that its repeal could have implications for the Church of England.
The Act — famously described as Britain's "grubby little secret" by the former Scottish Secretary for the Conservatives, Lord Forsyth forbids any Catholic, or anyone married to a Catholic, from inheriting the British throne.
It states: "That all and every person and persons, who shall or may take or inherit the said Crown, by virtue of the limitation of this present act, and is, are or shall be reconciled to, or shall hold communion with, the See or Church of Rome, or shall profess the popish religion, or shall marry a papist, shall be subject to such incapacities."
Several Church leaders have repeatedly expressed their objections to the law, which discriminates specifically against "papists". Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor pointed out that under the Act's terms Prince William, the second in line to the throne, "can marry by law a Hindu, a Buddhist, anyone, but not a Roman Catholic" without renouncing his claim to the crown.
In 1978 Prince Michael of Kent forfeited his place in the line of succession by marrying the Catholic Baroness Mahe-Christine von Reibnitz.
Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien has also voiced his opposition to the Bill, which he said was part of a "shadowy sectarian culture" in his country.
But despite the long-standing campaign against the Act, the Government appears unwilling to change the law.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose administration has passed more than 114,000 pages of legislation since 1997, acknowledged that the Act is unfair but said that the legal process would be too complicated as it would require changes to legislation in at least 15 independent Commonwealth countries..
Those who object to changing the Act say that any reform would lead to the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state religion. They argue that the monarch must swear to defend the Anglican faith and be a member of the Anglican Communion, but that a Roman Catholic monarch would, like all Roman Catholics, owe allegiance to the Pope.
Bishop Harper, 62, who was born in Tamworth in Staffordshire, is to succeed Archbishop Robin Eames, who retired in December. His appointment will take effect on February 2.
The Catholic Primate of All Ireland. Archbishop Sean Brady. welcomed Bishop Harper and praised his achievements.
"Bishop Harper has always been a clear voice against division and sectarianism," he said.
"He has been particularly committed to inter-denominational work."