Anglicans

Anglicans are members of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide family of national churches in communion with the See of Canterbury. The movement traces its origins to the English Reformation of the 16th century, when the Church of England separated from Rome under Henry VIII and later defined its identity in the Elizabethan Settlement. Anglican theology has often been described as a via media, or middle way, between Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions, drawing on scripture, tradition, and reason in its approach to faith and practice.

The Communion is highly decentralized: it comprises autonomous provinces (including the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Anglican Church of Canada, and many churches across Africa, Asia, and Oceania) that are in communion with Canterbury. There is no central pope; the Archbishop of Canterbury serves as a symbolic spiritual head and a focus for dialogue and common worship, while real authority rests with bishops and provincial synods. Anglican worship commonly uses the Book of Common Prayer or other approved liturgical resources, with baptism and the Eucharist regarded as the two primary sacraments; other rites are celebrated as sacramental in various provinces.

Anglican practice ranges from high church, emphasizing liturgy and continuity with historic catholic tradition, to broad church and evangelical expressions that stress preaching and personal faith. The ordination of women is accepted in many provinces, and some have ordained women as bishops; positions on same-sex relationships and marriage vary by province and are the subject of ongoing debate and discernment.

Globally, Anglicans participate in ecumenical dialogue and cooperation with other Christian denominations, and the Communion conducts interprovincial relationships through the Anglican Consultative Council and the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference.