Baby Catholic

The Anglican Church Today | What Happened After Henry VIII? (Part 3)

Sep 14, 2026 · 20 min · 8 segments

In the final part of this series, we continue exploring what happened after England separated from the Catholic Church. We look beyond Henry VIII and examine how his decision reshaped the relationship…

In the final part of this series, we continue exploring what happened after England separated from the Catholic Church. We look beyond Henry VIII and examine how his decision reshaped the relationship between the monarchy, the Church of England, and the law for centuries to come. We begin with the Magna Carta and its declaration that the English Church should be free from royal interference, then return to Henry VIII and the ways his break with Rome changed that relationship. From the religious conflicts and succession laws that followed to the exclusion of Catholics from the British throne, we trace how Henry's decision continued to shape England long after his death. Then we bring the story into the present, looking at King Charles III, Prince William and the future of the Church of England. What does it mean that the British monarch is still required to be in communion with the Church of England? Could that ever change? And what might happen to the relationship between the monarchy and the church as Britain becomes increasingly secular? As a Catholic convert and former Anglican, I'm not approaching these questions as someone who has all the answers. I'm following the history, asking difficult questions, and trying to understand what it reveals about authority, faith and the Church. After following this story from the English Church before Henry VIII to the monarchy and Church of England today, I come back to the question that ultimately led me home to Catholicism: who has authority over the Church? For Catholics, the answer isn't a king, a parliament or a nation. The Church was founded by Christ. This is the final episode in the series, but I don't think the questions raised by this history have simple endings. **History through a Catholic lens. Faith with honest questions. A new Catholic convert in search of truth.** Follow Baby Catholic on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube: **@BabyCatholic** #BabyCatholic #HenryVIII #Catholic #ChurchHistory #EnglishReformation

In the final part of this series, we continue exploring what happened after England separated from the Catholic Church. We look beyond Henry VIII and examine how his decision reshaped the relationship…

Speakers: EdenHost

Show signals: Audience≈3k followers

The Anglican Church’s Troubled Origins0:00 – 1:58

EdenHost

0:00

This episode is most likely to be my most controversial one on the Church of England, as it deals with people of today and the future.

EdenHost

0:08

But to sum up where we've gotten thus far, basically, there's a misconception that Henry VIII started a brand-new church.

EdenHost

0:15

He didn't quite do that, but you Anglicans can't get rid of him either.

EdenHost

0:21

He is yours.

EdenHost

0:22

He is the reason why there is a new church.

EdenHost

0:25

He sort of kept the Catholic Church, altered it to his personal liking.

EdenHost

0:29

He acted like an antipope, which is someone who is ruling as a leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the current pope at the time.

EdenHost

0:38

He did start a schism, a weak one, a cruel one that had blood all over it, and now this Christian tradition is here far and wide all over the world.

EdenHost

0:50

The motivations for the schism were not theologically based like Luther, but more practically based on land acquisition and his personal life.

EdenHost

1:00

Even though there were people interested in leaving the Catholic Church at the time in England, the church never truly changed like other protests of the Catholic Church.

EdenHost

1:09

They govern themselves based on where they live and who's in charge, which means Anglicans are not truly united.

EdenHost

1:16

And the most important difference that they have from the Catholic Church is that they do not follow the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope.

EdenHost

1:25

This foundation of the Anglican Church is so inconsistent that you see so many splits within it, which makes sense.

EdenHost

1:33

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, is unified.

EdenHost

1:36

There are different groups within.

EdenHost

1:38

However, if any of the groups decide to go against the actual Catholic Church teachings, they can be excommunicated, depending on the issue, but always have the opportunity to repent and come back.

EdenHost

1:50

There is true structure, which was started by Jesus himself.

EdenHost

1:56

Welcome to Baby Catholic.