Anglicans vs Catholics: What’s the difference?

God has a beautiful and diverse family, a vast web woven together by His great love. Sometimes, when we look at the world, we see what seems like division. But that is not how God sees it. What we call differences, God calls variety.

This is a journey into the heart of two of these beautiful traditions: the Anglican and Catholic Churches. This is not about choosing sides or focusing on what has kept people apart. It is a family story. It is about celebrating two historic streams of faith that, though they have traveled different paths, both flow from the same life-giving river: a deep and abiding love for Jesus Christ. Both of these traditions stand on the firm foundation of the ancient Nicene Creed, a powerful declaration of faith that has united Christians for nearly 1,700 years.¹

So let us open our hearts. Let us be uplifted. God wants to show us the amazing breadth and beauty of His family. We are not defined by division; we are united in Christ. Let us walk together on this path of understanding and fellowship.

How did the two paths begin?

God can use any situation, any person, to bring about His will. What looks to us like a political drama is often just God setting the stage for something new. The story of how the Church of England and the Church of Rome went their separate ways is a powerful testimony to this. It is not just a story about a king and his desire for a divorce; it is a story of how God used a moment of crisis to answer a deep spiritual hunger that was already stirring in the hearts of His people.

A King’s Great Matter

The story often begins with King Henry VIII of England in the 16th century. He was worried because he needed a son to secure the future of his kingdom, and his wife, Catherine of Aragon, had not given him one.³ Henry was a devout Catholic and had even been named “Defender of the Faith” by the Pope for writing against the reformer Martin Luther.¹ He asked the Pope for an annulment, which would declare his marriage was never valid. But for complex political reasons, the Pope refused.³

This refusal was the spark. In 1534, Henry VIII, through an act of Parliament, declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England, cutting political ties with Rome.³ But it is important to understand this: Henry’s break was political, not theological. He wanted, “Catholicism without the Pope.”⁷ The faith of the people in England did not change overnight.

A Deeper Spiritual Hunger

But something else was happening, something deeper. A spiritual hunger was sweeping across Europe, and England was no exception. For centuries, faithful Christians had been growing uneasy with corruption they saw in the wider Church.³ Brave men like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale had already been calling for reforms, arguing that the Bible, the Word of God, should be the ultimate authority and that all people should be able to read it in their own language.⁸

When Martin Luther’s powerful message of salvation through faith alone began to spread from Germany, it found fertile soil in England.³ People were longing for a more personal, direct relationship with God, one not buried under layers of ritual they could not understand.

The Reforms Take Root

Henry’s political break with Rome opened the door for this spiritual movement. After Henry’s death, his young son, Edward VI, who had been raised with Protestant beliefs, took the throne. Under his reign, real theological reform began, guided by his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.⁴

Cranmer gave the English-speaking world a great treasure: the Book of Common Prayer.⁷ For the first time, the beautiful liturgies of the church were in English, a language the people could understand and pray with all their hearts. The Bible was placed in every church. The journey was not a straight line; the throne would swing back to Catholicism under Queen Mary before being firmly established as a unique expression of faith under Queen Elizabeth I.⁶

This history shows us God’s loving providence. What began with a king’s crisis converged with a deep spiritual awakening. God took the imperfect motives of a man and used them to answer the prayers of a nation, bringing the Word of God and the language of prayer directly into the homes and hearts of ordinary people.

Who leads the flock?

God always provides shepherds for His people. Both Catholics and Anglicans have a deep respect for this kind of historic, God-ordained leadership, tracing their spiritual authority back to the Apostles. They simply have different ways of structuring that leadership, and this is the most important key to understanding everything else.

The Catholic Structure: A Father for the Family

In the Catholic the ultimate spiritual leader on Earth is the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.¹ Catholics believe he is the successor to the Apostle Peter. He is seen as a spiritual father to the global Catholic family, a visible sign of unity and a final authority on matters of faith and morals.¹⁶ When the Pope, along with the bishops (an authority known as the Magisterium), makes a definitive ruling on doctrine, it provides a clear, unified voice for over a billion Catholics worldwide.⁸ This structure is designed to protect the faith and ensure the same truth is taught everywhere.

The Anglican Structure: A Fellowship of Leaders

The Anglican Communion has a different model. Although the British monarch is the “Supreme Governor” of the Church of England, this is a role of patronage, not direct spiritual authority.¹ The spiritual leadership is held by bishops, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as the most senior. But he is not an Anglican “pope.” He is considered

primus inter pares, a Latin phrase meaning “first among equals.”19

The Anglican Communion is a worldwide fellowship of national churches, and each one governs itself.²⁰ Major decisions are not made by one person but are prayed over in councils called Synods. In these Synods, bishops, priests, and lay people—the everyday members of the church—all have a voice.¹⁸ This structure is more decentralized, allowing for a diversity of views and adaptations to local cultures. This difference in governance is the foundational distinction from which other differences flow.

How does God speak to us?

God does not want us to walk in confusion. He has given us reliable tools to know His truth. Both the Anglican and Catholic traditions cherish the Holy Bible and the wisdom of the early Church. They simply balance these gifts in slightly different ways.

The Anglican “Three-Legged Stool”

Anglicans often speak of their faith as a “three-legged stool,” a beautiful image for a balanced faith.²²

1. Scripture: This is the first and most important leg. Anglicans believe the Bible is the Word of God and “contains all things necessary for salvation.” No belief can be required if it cannot be found in or proven by the Holy Scriptures.⁸
2. Tradition: This is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit working through the Church over 2,000 years. It includes the great Creeds, the writings of the early Church Fathers, and historic liturgies.⁸ It helps us interpret the Bible correctly.
3. Reason: This is the mind God gave us. Anglicans believe God wants us to use our reason to explore and understand the great truths of Scripture and Tradition.²²

The Catholic View: Scripture and Tradition as One Deposit

The Catholic Church also holds Scripture and Tradition in the highest regard. It sees them not as separate legs as two parts of a single, sacred “deposit of faith” given by Jesus to the Apostles.⁸

In this view, Scripture and Sacred Tradition are intertwined. The Magisterium—the Pope and the bishops—is seen as the God-given authority tasked with faithfully guarding and interpreting this single deposit.⁸ Because of this, the Church believes it has the authority to define a doctrine as binding, even if it is not explicitly spelled out in the Bible, because it is understood to be part of that Sacred Tradition.⁸

Feature	Anglicanism (The Three-Legged Stool)	Catholicism (The Deposit of Faith)
Primary Authority	Scripture (contains all things necessary for salvation)	Scripture & Sacred Tradition (viewed as a single, intertwined source of revelation)
Role of Tradition	A vital guide to interpreting Scripture; the wisdom of the early Church.	An equal part of God’s revelation, passed down from the Apostles.
Role of Reason	A God-given tool to understand and apply Scripture and Tradition.	Used to understand and articulate the faith, but subordinate to revelation.
Final Interpreter	The Church in council, guided by the Holy Spirit, but always subject to Scripture.	The Magisterium (the Pope and bishops in union with him).

How do we experience God’s grace?

Our God is not distant. He wants to meet us where we are. He has given us beautiful, physical ways to experience His invisible grace. These are called sacraments. While Anglicans and Catholics might count them differently, both believe that God truly touches our lives through these outward signs.

The Catholic Seven Sacraments

The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments, which it teaches were instituted by Christ as channels of God’s grace:1

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• The Eucharist
• Reconciliation (Confession)
• Anointing of the Sick
• Holy Orders
• Matrimony

The Anglican “Two Plus Five”

The Anglican tradition has a “two plus five” model. Anglicans hold up Baptism and the Eucharist as the two “great sacraments” or “Sacraments of the Gospel” because they were clearly commanded by Jesus in the Gospels for all people.¹ They are seen as essential for every Christian.

The other five rites—Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Ordination, and Anointing of the Sick—are also cherished.¹ They are considered “sacramental rites” because, Although they are holy and grace-filled, they are not seen as necessary for every single person’s salvation in the same way as Baptism and the Eucharist.²⁰ This distinction flows from the Reformation principle of relying on Scripture as the primary authority.

How is Jesus with us in the Eucharist?

There is no moment more sacred than when the family of God gathers at the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion, or the Eucharist. It is a time of powerful connection with Jesus. Both Anglicans and Catholics believe with all their hearts that Jesus is truly and powerfully present in the bread and the wine. They may use different words to describe this miracle their shared faith in His Real Presence is a beautiful testimony to this holy mystery.

The Catholic Belief: Transubstantiation

The Catholic Church uses the term transubstantiation to explain what happens.¹¹ The Church teaches that, through God’s power, the deepest reality—the

substance—of the bread and wine is transformed into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.²⁵ The outward appearances—what it looks and tastes like—remain the same the inner reality has completely changed.²⁷ It is a new creation.²⁹

The Anglican Belief: The Real Presence

Anglicans also affirm the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.³¹ They believe they truly receive the Body and Blood of their Lord. But they step back from defining exactly

how this miracle occurs, choosing to embrace the wonder of it as a “holy mystery.”20 A famous Anglican saying captures this spirit: “He was the Word that spake it; He took the bread and brake it; And what that Word did make it; I do believe and take it.”27 The focus for Anglicans is on the faithful reception of this gift. As one of their foundational documents says, the Body of Christ is received and eaten “only after an heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith.”34

Who is called to serve?

God calls all kinds of people to lead His church. Both the Anglican and Catholic traditions have the same historic order of ministry: bishops, priests, and deacons.¹⁷ But they have come to different understandings about who can be called to serve in these roles.

A Married Priesthood

One visible difference is that in the Anglican Communion, clergy are allowed to be married.¹ In the Roman Catholic priests are required to be celibate, a powerful witness of giving one’s entire life to Christ and His Church.⁷

The Ordination of Women

A more recent difference is the ordination of women. The Catholic believing it is following Jesus’s example of choosing only men as His twelve apostles, maintains an all-male priesthood.³⁶ The Anglican Communion is not unified on this. Many of its provinces, including the Church of England and The Episcopal Church in the United States, do ordain women as deacons, priests, and even bishops.¹ They believe the Holy Spirit is leading the Church into a fuller understanding of the Gospel. These differences reflect how each church understands authority and tradition.

What is the role of Mary and the saints?

We are not running this race of faith alone! The Bible tells us we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses”—the saints who have gone before us and are now cheering us on.³⁹ Both Catholics and Anglicans honor these faithful servants, especially Mary, the mother of our Lord. They simply have different ways of expressing that honor.

Catholic Veneration and Intercession

Catholics make an important distinction between worship (for God alone) and veneration (high honor). They venerate Mary and the saints as incredible examples of faith.¹⁵ Because those in heaven are alive in Christ, Catholics believe they can pray for us, or

intercede. They see asking a saint to pray for them as being like asking a friend on earth to pray for them.¹⁴ The Catholic Church also holds specific beliefs about Mary, such as the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.¹

Anglican Remembrance and Inspiration

Anglicans also hold Mary in high esteem as the Theotokos (Mother of God) and remember the saints in their calendars.¹⁶ They see them as powerful role models and sources of inspiration.¹⁸ Generally Anglicans do not practice praying directly to Mary or the saints for intercession, wanting to keep the focus on Jesus Christ as the one mediator.¹ For the same reason, they do not accept the Catholic dogmas about Mary, because they are not explicitly taught in the Bible.¹

How do we walk through life’s difficult questions?

Life is full of challenges God has given us His Church to be a source of wisdom and grace. When it comes to some of the most personal issues of modern life, the Catholic and Anglican traditions often approach them from different perspectives—one rooted in clear, universal teachings and the other in pastoral flexibility.

Marriage and Divorce

• Catholic Teaching: The Church teaches that a sacramental marriage is a lifelong covenant that cannot be broken.⁴² While a civil divorce may be necessary, it does not end the sacramental bond. To remarry civilly is considered adultery.⁴² An annulment is not a “Catholic divorce,” but a finding that a true sacramental marriage never existed in the first place.⁴²
• Anglican Teaching: The Church of England also holds up lifelong marriage as the ideal.⁴⁶ But it compassionately recognizes that some marriages fail. Since 2002, the Church has permitted divorced persons to remarry in church under certain circumstances, at the discretion of the priest after pastoral conversations.⁴⁶ This emphasizes God’s grace and the possibility of a new beginning.⁴⁸

Contraception

• Catholic Teaching: The Church teaches that using artificial contraception is morally wrong because it deliberately closes off the procreative purpose of the marital act as designed by God.⁴⁹
• Anglican Teaching: In 1930, the Anglican Communion discerned that the use of contraception within marriage could be permissible as a matter of Christian conscience, for morally sound reasons.⁵⁰

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

• Catholic Teaching: The Church teaches that every person must be treated with respect and dignity. It holds that homosexual acts are contrary to God’s law and that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman.
• Anglican Teaching: This is an issue where the Anglican family is most divided. Some provinces, like The Episcopal Church in the US, bless same-sex unions and ordain openly gay clergy.³⁶ Many other provinces, particularly in Africa and Asia, hold to the traditional teaching. This diversity is a direct result of the decentralized authority of the Communion.

Is there a “middle way”?

Sometimes we try to put God’s Church in a box, using labels like “Catholic” or “Protestant.” But God’s truth is bigger than our labels. Anglicanism is a beautiful example of this.

The Via Media (The Middle Way)

The classic way to describe Anglican identity is via media, “the middle way.”18 This does not mean it is a compromise. It is a path that seeks to hold on to the best of its Catholic heritage and its Protestant Reformation convictions.⁵⁸

• It is Catholic in its love for the ancient Creeds, the sacraments, and the historic ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons.³¹
• It is Reformed in its embrace of the supreme authority of the Bible, justification by faith, and worship in the language of the people.¹³

The Anglican Spectrum: High, Low, and Broad Church

Because Anglicanism walks this via media, not every Anglican church feels the same. There is a wonderful spectrum of worship within this one communion.

• High Church (or Anglo-Catholic): A service here might feel very similar to a Catholic Mass, with beautiful vestments, incense, and a deep reverence for the Eucharist.⁶²
• Low Church (or Evangelical): A service here will feel more Protestant, with a focus on passionate preaching of the Bible and often contemporary music.⁶²
• Broad Church: Most Anglican churches are in the “Broad Church” middle, blending elements from both traditions.²¹

Feature	High Church (Anglo-Catholic)	Broad Church (Central)	Low Church (Evangelical)
Worship Style	Elaborate, formal liturgy. Incense, bells, chanting. Often called “Mass.” 63	Structured liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, but less formal. A blend of hymns and modern songs.	Simple, less structured service. Focus on the sermon. Often includes a worship band. 64
View of Eucharist	Strong emphasis on Real Presence, often close to Transubstantiation. 64	Belief in Real Presence as a holy mystery.	Often viewed more symbolically or as a memorial, with an emphasis on faith. 65
Church Appearance	Ornate, with statues, icons, and elaborate altars. 63	Traditional church architecture, balanced ornamentation.	Plainer, simpler church interior. 65
Clergy Attire	Elaborate vestments (chasuble, etc.). Often called “Father.” 62	Standard vestments (alb, stole). Often called “Reverend” or “Pastor.”	Simple robes or even regular street clothes. 64
Theological Focus	Catholic heritage, sacraments, tradition. 63	The via media balance of Catholic and Reformed.	Reformation principles, Scripture, personal conversion. 65

How, then, shall we live in unity?

In a world that tries to build walls, God calls His people to something higher. He calls us to unity. Not a unity where everyone is the same a unity of family, where we love and respect one another because we all belong to the same Father.

Let us not get stuck on the arguments of the past. The great unifier, the bedrock of our shared faith, is the powerful Nicene Creed that both Anglicans and Catholics profess all over the world.¹

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, was crucified, and rose again. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. That is our common ground. That is our shared victory.

So, let us see the beauty in our Catholic brothers and sisters, and in our Anglican brothers and sisters. Let us celebrate the incredible richness of God’s amazing family. Let us walk together, listen to one another, and journey forward in faith and love.