The latest address by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Church of England's General Synod has confirmed the move toward a 'multi-faith settlement' for religion in terms of law and governance in the UK, the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia says.

Asking where the Church of England can go from here, Simon Barrow looks at why and how Rowan Williams got hold of the wrong end of the stick over religious communal practice and the civil legal system, why a larger 'multi-faith settlement' is unhelpful, and how post-Christendom beckons.

As Dr Rowan Williams faced calls for his resignation last night over the row about his Sharia speech, Lambeth Palace issued a statement suggesting that recognition for Christianity in a secular state requires a multi-faith settlement.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury believes the Church of England should be disestablished if the government opts for a fully-elected second chamber, claims a leading religion writer.

The new head of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland has said that the 1701 Act of Settlement, which prevents a Catholic from marrying a monarch, should be abolished. He has also affirmed that the disestablishment of the Church of England would be a positive rather than a negative step.

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