Find out what these two popular denominations have in common

Once upon a time, only the Roman Catholic church existed. Then there was a split due to a dispute between Englands King Henry VIII and the popes over the validity of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This separation led to the birth of the Anglican communion. As you can imagine, these two religious denominations share some similarities. Heres what these two popular churches share in common:

Size

Both churches are quite huge. Tens of millions of Anglicans can be found in over 165 countries around the world including Nigeria. The same can be said for Roman Catholics. In 2013, there were an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world, according to the Vatican. This year (2018), that number has grown to almost 1.4 billion, according to the publication of the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2016, published together with the Pontifical Yearbook 2018.

Practices

Both Anglicans and Roman Catholics recite the Apostles Creeds and the Nicene. They both administer Baptism, Confirmation, and celebrate the Holy Communion, as well as the four other sacramental rites of Penance and Matrimony.

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Beliefs

Like the Anglicans, the Catholics believe in the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Leadership

Both denominations have priests and archibishops. However, there is a major difference. Unlike the Catholic church, Anglican priests are allowed to get married to have married. Here, women can become ordained priests and bishops, unlike the Catholic church which remains against the idea.

Another difference in leadership is that the Anglican Church is headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury while the Romans have the Pope. The current archbishop is Justin Welby, who was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. Coincidentally, Pope Francis, the current Pontiff was also elected in 2013.