80 Clement VII Catholicism became not only barred by law but also less and less realistic However, the Glorious Revolution of 1688–89 was the great landmark in the history of the Church of England In general, the religious strife and bloodshed that had troubled England for more than a century began to subside, and the national and reformed church began to operate within the Elizabethan framework of the church constitution Moreover, the church spread throughout the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, and hundreds of episcopacies all over the empire lived under the governorship of English monarchs Today, the Church of England is still the religion of the English monarchy but no longer enjoys any privileges over other religions in the British parliamentary democracy The archbishop of Canterbury, as St Augustine’s successor, is honored as the universal primate among the Episcopalian believers in more than 400 dioceses all around the world, but he exercises no authority over them At the same time, the church is currently playing an important role in women’s ordination, Christian ecumenical dialogue, and interfaith communications among world religions See also Bible translations; Calvin, John; Luther, Martin Westminster Abbey, one of England’s most celebrated buildings, is also home to the Church of England Further reading: Block, Joseph S Factional Politics and the English Reformation, 1520–1540 Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1993; Dickens, Arthur G The English Reformation London: Batsford, 1989; Hirst, Derek Authority and Conflict: England 1603–1658 Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1986; Jones, Norman L Faith by Statute: Parliament and the Settlement of Religion, 1559 Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1982; Kishlansky, Mark A A Monarchy Transformed: Britain 1603–1714 New York: Penguin Books, 1997; Speck, William A Reluctant Revolutionaries: Englishmen and the Revolution of 1688 Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988 Wenxi Liu Clement VII (1478–1534) pope from the Medici family Pope Clement VII was born in 1478 as Giulio de Medici and died on September 22, 1534, in Rome He was a member of the powerful Florentine de’ Medici family In his youth he was educated by his uncle, the powerful Lorenzo the Magnificent Another uncle, Pope Leo X (Giovanni de’ Medici), made him cardinal on September 28, 1513 Because of his family’s control over much of the politics of northern Italy, he was one of the favorite candidates for pope in the next conclave, but he was not elected to the papacy until November 18, 1523 During his reign as pope, Clement was heavily involved in the conflict between French king Francis I and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Clement took the side of the French and organized the League of Cognac of France, Venice, and Florence on May 22, 1526 On Italian soil Clement was thrown into an ongoing territorial conflict with the city-state of Colonna, which had for years been invading the Papal States On September 20, 1526, Clement was shut up in the Castle of Sant’ Angelo while the Vatican was plundered by Colonna soldiers German Lutheran soldiers also sacked Rome during his pontificate, possibly with the blessings of the Holy Roman Emperor A treaty with Charles V in February 1530 brought peace once again to Italy, a peace that did not last long Clement VII is best known as the pope who denied the divorce of Henry VIII, king of England, and Queen Catherine of Aragon and denied the validity of the marriage of Henry to Anne Boleyn Clement eventually excommunicated the king and the English Reformation ensued Clement helped support the Capuchin reform of the Order of St Francis of Assisi and