Carey backs Habgood on coronation change

THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, said yesterday that the coronation service would have to be changed to accommodate the multi-faith nature of England, writes Andrew Brown. And he hinted strongly that the Church of England would be happy to remarry the Prince of Wales if the occasion arose.

Dr Carey, in Cape Town for a meeting of Anglican primates, said that the coronation oath, in which the monarch swears to uphold the Church of England, would be difficult to change. But he appeared to agree with the Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, who suggested last week that the service be changed to reflect the diminished role of the Church of England in national life. Dr Carey told Radio 4: 'Between 1953 and 1993 the religious map of England has changed out of all recognition. . . the Archbishop of York . . . was raising a question that must be addressed at some point in the future, and that is the nature of the coronation service itself.'

Dr Carey's office had not forwarded Dr Habgood's remarks, made on a television programme a week before, but he attempted to agree with them anyway. Dr Carey said that the coronation oath was complicated, adding: 'I will have to look into that together with the Archbishop of York and constitutional authorities before we can even hint there could be changes.'

Asked whether he thought Prince Charles could become Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith, which are among the monarch's titles, Dr Carey replied: 'I don't see any bar myself. As Archbishop of Canterbury I am at the disposal of the Royal Family, to encourage and to help and to be with them. We expect our leaders at every level to embody Christian values and morality. That is true of church leaders and of all of us.'

He added that, though the Royal Family had not hinted to him that they wanted the bar on remarrying divorced people raised, this was an issue the synod would have to deal with. 'An increasing number of people are going towards a remarriage of divorcees in church. General Synod has visited that argument and left it in a very sorry state.'