see Canon C8
1 Various pieces of legislation make reference to 'Churches in communion with the Church of England'.
2 This term may be taken to include the following Churches:
(a) All member Churches and extra-provincial dioceses of the Anglican Communion, including united Churches which incorporate former Anglican Churches:
Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Anglican Church of Australia
Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil
Episcopal Church of Burundi
Anglican Church of Canada
Church of the Province of Central Africa
Anglican Church of the Central America Region
Anglican Church of the Congo
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
Church of Ireland
Anglican Communion in Japan
Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
Anglican Church of Kenya
Anglican Church of Korea
Church of the Province of Melanesia
Anglican Church of Mexico
Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma)
Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea
Episcopal Church in the Philippines
Episcopal Church of Rwanda
Scottish Episcopal Church
Church of the Province of South East Asia
Church of the Province of Southern Africa
Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America
Episcopal Church of the Sudan
Anglican Church of Tanzania
Church of the Province of Uganda
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Church in Wales
Church of the Province of West Africa
Church in the Province of the West Indies
Extra-provincial dioceses:
Anglican Church of Bermuda
Anglican Church in Ceylon (Sir Lanka)
Episcopal Church of Cuba
Lusitanian Church of Portugal
Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain
Falkland Islands Jurisdiction
The Anglican Church in Venezuela
Episcopal Church of Puerto Rico
United Churches incorporating former Anglican dioceses:
Church of Bangladesh
Church of North India
Church of South India
Church of Pakistan
(b) The Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht:
Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands
Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
Old Catholic Church of Austria
Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic
Polish National Catholic Church (USA)
Polish National Catholic Church (Poland)
Old Catholic Church of Croatia
The Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Committee exists to monitor and promote the relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Union of Utrecht.
(c) Philippine Independent Church
(d) Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar
(e) Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Churches that approved the Porvoo Declaration.
To date, these are:
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland*
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Iceland
Church of Norway*
Church of Sweden*
Estonian Evangelical-Lutheran Church*
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Lithuania
*indicates Churches with congregations in England.
The Porvoo Contact Group (and additionally, within the Church of England, The English Porvoo Panel) exists to monitor and promote the relationship between the British and Irish Anglican Provinces and the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Churches.
3 The advice contained in this note is given in good faith, but does not constitute a definitive ruling. Rule 54(5) of the CRR provides that 'if any question arises whether a Church is in communion with the Church of England, it shall be conclusively determined for the purposes of these rules by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York'. Section 6(2) of the Overseas and Other Clergy (Ministry and Ordination) Measure 1967 makes a similar provision.