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King Charles will have a new title in Canada now that the federal government has dropped the century-old accolade – “defender of the faith” – as part of a push to redefine the role of the head of state.
Saturday’s coronation is a religious affair. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the de facto head of the Church of England, will preside over the ceremony, which will include anointing Charles with holy oil consecrated by Anglican and Orthodox clergy in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be on hand for the church service – it means the Anglican Eucharist, except with other royal pomp and pageantry – but the government has signaled it is not interested in continuing the religious role of the monarchy in Canada.
CBC’s coverage of King Charles’ coronation will be available on all platforms on May 6 starting at 4 a.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Radio and streaming on CBC Gem, CBC News Explore, and CBC Listen.
The title “defender of the faith” dates back to the Tudor period in the 16th century and refers to the king’s unique position as “supreme governor” of the Church of England – the state religion established after King Henry VIII withdrew the English churches from the pope. check.
It recognizes the duality of the King’s role: he is both ruler and religious figure. They are at the center of Westminster’s parliamentary democratic system and also have divine duties.
WATCH: King Charles will never be known as a ‘defender of the faith.’ No problem right?
King Charles will have a new title in Canada now that the government has dropped “defender of the faith” – part of the push to redefine the role of the head of state.
Buried deep in the Trudeau government’s budget bill, however, is a move that would break Canada from that tradition.
For the first time since Confederation, the royal title of the Canadian monarch will not include the role of “defender” or explicit reference to Charles’ Christian faith.
The designation “God” remains, as in the first line of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The King will be officially known in this country as “Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Canada and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.”
“They wanted to drop the title because there was a desire to modernize it,” said Justin Vovk, a historian of the Royal Family at McMaster University.
“There’s a lot of drive — a sense of urgency — to show Canadians why the queen is modern, to show Canadians she has a place in the 21st century.”
Vovk said the religiosity of the title “defender” is something open to “criticism, criticism and questioning” in an increasingly secular Canada.
“Charles really needs to reflect on the country he leads as head of state,” he said.
When the late Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1953, Canadian prime minister Louis St-Laurent, a Catholic, admitted it was a “difficult” issue.
She eventually decided, after talking to her cabinet, to keep the reference to “defender” in the Queen’s Canadian title.
“There is no reasonable objection from anyone who believes in His Highness who has authority, the head of civil authority, who is described as a believer and defender of the faith,” said St-Laurent.
And although other parts of the Commonwealth have moved on (Australia, for example, dropped the title in 1973), Canada has continued to refer to the Queen’s ecclesiastical position throughout her reign.
“The decision was made to modernize the title to bring Canada in line with other Commonwealth countries,” said a spokesman for the King’s Privy Council, which is overseen by cabinet minister Bill Blair.
The government’s decision to scrap the title and upend centuries of royal history has met with a collective shrug in this country.
Canada is increasingly irreligious; The country has less recognition of Christianity today than when Elizabeth began the title.
In 1991, for example, 12.5 percent of Canadians reported no religious affiliation, according to Statistics Canada data. In 2019, the agency reported a big jump: 26.3 percent said they had no religion.
About 63 percent of Canadians profess to be Christians. Another 10.4 percent follow other religions.
But research by Cardus, a religious think tank, suggests even fewer Canadians (about 19 per cent) regularly attend religious services and can be considered “very faithful”.
WATCH: King Charles’ deep ties to Canada
England’s new king, King Charles, has deep ties to Canada, building relationships with a number of Canadians through charity work and outreach during his many visits to the country.
Nor is there an “official” church in Canada.
The Anglican Church of Canada, a church affiliated with the Church of England as part of the Anglican Communion, is a much smaller entity than it was 70 years ago – and the King has no formal role in the church.
“I know the historical antecedents, but there hasn’t been this level of religious establishment since the early 19th century in this country,” said Andrew Bennett, Canada’s former ambassador for religious freedom.
“We don’t have an established church. We also don’t have the majority of the population practicing Christianity today. So it’s true. I think it’s appropriate,” he said about the government’s decision.
Bennett, an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, also said he was glad the government would keep referring to “God” when defining Charles’ role.
A ‘higher authority’
“God is still there. That’s very important,” he told CBC News.
“We have a significant proportion of the population in Canada who profess belief in God or, of course, in the supernatural. And so I think it is a reflection of who we are as people.
“And I think it is important that our king has someone who is above him, which is God, he should also be informed – someone who has a higher authority than him.”
Charles himself floated the idea of changing the title, suggesting it be “defender of the faith” (by dropping the “in”) to better reflect the religious diversity of modern England and the Commonwealth.
The idea did not sit well with some in the Church of England establishment who argued that the King was constitutionally required to protect and defend the state church.
Unlike in Canada, the British prime minister has authority over church government and the bishops sit in the House of Lords, the upper house. In England, the church is fully intertwined with the affairs of the state.
Reach out to other religions
But this did not stop Charles from showing that he was open to other religious traditions.
For decades, Charles has shown a special interest in Islam, and has called for better relations between the West and the Muslim world.
To that end, Charles’ coronation will include religious leaders from other religions for the first time.
Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh leaders will participate in various aspects of the coronation.
Safwan Choudhry spoke for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Canada.
He said Ahmadi Muslims respected the Crown because past monarchs had allowed religious freedom to flourish in places like the British Raj, a former colony that included modern-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“He was a colonizer – and nobody likes to be colonized – but he never gave up religious freedom,” Choudhry said of Emperors like George V, the King’s grandfather.
“Under the British government, all religions, regardless of denomination and belief and how they are identified, are allowed not only to practice but to profess and proselytize their faith.
“These are traditions and values that are preserved to this day – not only in England but in many former colonies, including Canada.”
Choudhry said that Charles’ inclusion of different religions in the coronation service was a sign that he was open to different religions – and could adapt to long-standing traditions to respond to the changing demographics of his subjects.
“What King Charles will do and what his legacy will be remains to be seen,” Choudhry said.
“But we have seen an inclusive mindset, an open mind to learning about other religions, religions, viewpoints and beliefs, including Islam.”
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