Anglicanism is a denomination of the Protestant branch of
Western Christianity that is independent from the
Holy See but is in full communion with the
See of Canterbury. It has an
episcopal polity. While rejecting the
primacy of the Bishop of Rome, it considers itself to be
Catholic because it is in possession of a continuous tradition of faith and practice, based on scripture and early traditions, enshrined in the Catholic creeds, together with the sacraments and apostolic ministry. Anglicanism also considers itself to be
Protestant, or Reformed, since it opposes doctrines and ways of worshipping that it considers contrary to scripture and which led to the
Reformation. The mother church of those that adhere to Anglicanism is the
Church of England, the churches with the largest numbers of worshippers are the
Church of Nigeria, the
Church of Uganda and the
Anglican Church of Kenya. The word
Anglican originates in
ecclesia anglicana, a
medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the
English Church. Adherents of Anglicanism are called
Anglicans.