This past spring the world congratulated England’s Prince William on his marriage to the commoner Catherine Middleton. At the time, the Act of Settlement of 1701 prohibited Prince William not from marrying a commoner but rather from marrying a Catholic.
This Act refers only to Catholics and makes no mention of Jews, Hindus, Muslims or members of any other religious group, cult or sect. Long considered to be not only archaic but discriminatory and offensive, it was changed late last week. The Catholic Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England praised this latest change for eliminating “a point of discrimination” against Catholics.
However, in announcing the change, British Prime Minister David Cameron made it clear that the law still prohibits the British monarch from being a Roman Catholic because the monarch is also considered the head of the Church of England. In doing so he made it abundantly clear that it is now fine for a member of the British Royal Family to marry a Papist but not to be one. While some have praised the change, others such as Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmon suggested that it was “deeply disappointing” that Catholics were still prohibited from ascending to the throne of England.
We welcome this latest move by the British government to rid itself of an outdated and offensive remnant of their long anti-Catholic history. It is certainly good news to the five million Catholics who call Britain home and who like all citizens of the British Isles support the British Royal Family with their tax dollars. It is especially good news for those young Catholics who are not yet married and are looking for eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. British Royals who have had no problem marrying commoners in recent years might now be willing to be matched with a Catholic monarch or even a commoner of the Catholic faith. This could provide the much needed stability and fidelity that have been clearly lacking in the recent history of British royal matrimony. Perhaps a once and future King or Queen of England might deem it advantageous to marry a papist.
