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What changes did Elizabeth I make to the Book of Common Prayer in 1559?
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The stately Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England. The cathedral is the seat of the archbishop of Canterbury, the mother church of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I restored the 1552 edition of the Book of Common Prayer through the Act of Uniformity. While this version remained largely consistent with the 1552 text, Elizabeth introduced a few small but significant modifications to the liturgy:
- Eucharistic Belief: The changes allowed for a broader interpretation regarding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, moving away from the more strictly Protestant stance of the 1552 version.1
- Litany Revision: An offensive prayer directed against the pope was removed from the litany.1
These adjustments were part of the broader Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which sought to establish a stable state church and mitigate religious conflict within England.2