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Camilla gets nod from church
14/07/2002 11:27 - (SA)
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Camilla Parker-Bowles and Elton John arrive at Somerset House in London on Thursday for a benefit in aid of children's charity. (AP)
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London - The next Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world's Anglican community, is to give his blessing to Prince
Charles marrying his long-time companion Camilla Parker Bowles in
church, a British Sunday paper said.
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Wales, believes that the
couple should be treated "as any other" were they to decide to
marry, The Sunday Telegraph said, quoting his closest colleagues.
He believes, according to the paper, that Charles and Camilla
would meet new rules governing the remarriage of divorcees
introduced last Tuesday by the General Synod, the Church of
England's ruling body.
Until now the sanctioning of second marriages by England's state church has been left to each clergyman's discretion and at present 11% of its church weddings involve divorcees.
Although Charles has been technically free to remarry in church, the fact his mother Queen Elizabeth is the supreme governor of the Church of England - a role he will assume on his ascension to the throne - has effectively barred him from such a step.
But by issuing new guidelines, the church effectively gave the
remarriage of divorcees an official, if tacit, stamp of approval.
The Church has already made clear that it prefers to see a
married king, rather than a monarch with a mistress.
Charles's previous marriage to the late Princess Diana formally ended in divorce a year before her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
He is said to want to marry his companion of 30 years, but the
queen has reportedly not yet come round to the idea.
The ruling body of the Church's General Synod earlier this week
voted by 269 votes to 83 in favour of issuing the guidelines, still
at a draft stage.
The spokesperson said the guidelines are "designed to make the
process more consistent across the country. It is not designed to
create a blanket possibility for divorcees to marry in church."
- Sapa-AFP
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