London, England, Mar 26, 2008 / 17:21 pm
The British government is considering whether to abolish the 300-year-old Act of Settlement that forbids Catholics from sitting on the British throne, the Scotsman reports.
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, revealed the proposal after he unveiled the draft of the sweeping Constitutional Reform Bill yesterday.
The bill did not include any proposal to abolish what Catholics have called legalized discrimination. However, the topic was raised in the House of Commons by Labour MP Jim Devine, a Catholic.
Devine described the Act of Settlement as “legalized sectarianism which has no role in the 21st century,” calling for it to be repealed.