Reconciling conflict between religious freedoms and non-religious human rights is a subject that has begun to affect many countries as they have become more liberal, multicultural and secular. The law relevant to the subject is currently developing at a fast pace, and is of particular interest in England and Wales given the historical position that Christianity has had within the establishment – the monarchy, Parliament and the law. This article charts the development of the law in these areas from an era of officially Protestant uniformity to the current plural and tolerant society. The fast pace of development, particularly since the end of the Second World War, is shown through examination of the development of the law in the fields of racial discrimination, discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, and religious freedom and discrimination. To all intents and purposes, the law has now become neutral towards religion and belief and provides an enlarged space where, subject only to legitimate interference for the protection of that freedom and the rule of law, all are free to adhere to their own faith and belief system.

Same-sex marriage is legal or likely to be legalised in many Western nations. One important safeguard invariably incorporated in the legislation providing for same-sex marriage has been an exemption for religious ministers who object to solemnising such marriages. Another category of potential objectors consists of marriage registrars, commissioners or celebrants employed or appointed by the state. By contrast, an accommodation grounded in the right of religious freedom and conscience for these governmental celebrants has not been granted. This article examines the introduction of same-sex marriage in three jurisdictions – England and Wales, New Zealand and Canada. It analyses the precise ambit of the exemption for religious celebrants, considers the vulnerability of such exemptions to future legal challenge and questions the validity of denying free exercise accommodation to state-appointed celebrants.

Christians have had centuries of experience with a wide variety of synods or councils, and the establishment by Pope Paul VI in 1965 of the Synod of Bishops is one of the latest examples. It is already clear that with Pope Francis the Synod will increase its already great impact on the life and mission of the Church. This article will begin by presenting the current canon law governing the Synod, mainly from the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Particular attention will then be given to the ecclesial dynamics within which the Synod operates. This will involve considering papal primacy, episcopal collegiality, Ecumenical Councils, the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia. While accepting that the Synod must be understood on its own terms, the concluding reflections will illustrate the need to state as a matter of theology and of history the foundations on which synodality and conciliarity rest.

This article aims to provide an introductory historical sketch of the origins of the Church of England as a background for canon law in the present-day Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. Written by a specialist for non-specialists, it summarises the widely held view among ecclesiastical historians that if the Church of England could ever be said to have had a ‘normative’ period, it is not to be found in its formative years in the middle decades of the sixteenth century, and that, in particular, the origins of the Church of England and of what we now call ‘Anglicanism’ are not the same thing.

Earlier this year the Church Commissioners decided that the newly appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells should live in the Old Rectory, Croscombe, instead of at the historic palace in Wells. When the decision met considerable local opposition, not least in the House of Commons, the Archbishops' Council appointed a committee consisting of Mrs Mary Chapman (in the Chair), Philip Fletcher and Archdeacon Cherry Vann to consider objections. After a hearing, the committee directed that the transaction should not proceed.

It is a peculiarity of the European continent that there are four independent Anglican jurisdictions side by side: the Church of England with its Diocese in Europe, The Episcopal Church, based in the United States of America, with its Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, and the Lusitanian and Spanish Reformed Episcopal Churches which are extra-provincial dioceses in the Anglican Communion. Alongside these, there are the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, with dioceses in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All of them are in full communion with each other, but they lack a comprehensive jurisdictional structure; consequently, there are cities where two or three bishops exercise jurisdiction canonically totally separately.

The Charities (Annual Return) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014, which came into force on 1 April 2014, outline the information that charities operating in Northern Ireland and registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) must provide in their interim annual report for the accounting period starting on or after 1 April 2014. Until now, charities in Northern Ireland have not been required to submit annual monitoring returns or accounts and reports to CCNI; however, with the start of compulsory registration of charities, annual reporting is gradually being introduced.

The latest colloquium took place in London, and had as its theme ‘Counsel and Consent’, a clear echo of Eric Kemp's book of that title. On the Anglican side, the participants were Will Adam, Norman Doe, Mark Hill QC (in whose Inner Temple chambers we met), Anthony Jeremy and Stephen Slack. The Roman Catholic canonists were Andrew Cole, James Conn SJ, Fintan Gavin, Aidan McGrath OFM and Robert Ombres OP.

The 2014 Law and Religion Scholars Network (LARSN) Conference was held at Cardiff University Law School on 12 May and was attended by a great number of delegates both from the UK and from overseas. LARSN, which was set up by Cardiff's Centre for Law and Religion in 2008 to bring together academics interested in the study of law and religion, has continued to grow in popularity and now has over 270 members.