The Anglican Church originated when King Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, when the pope refused to grant the king an annulment.
The Anglican Communion is made up of 46 independent churches, of which The Episcopal Church (US) is one.
The Anglican Communion represents over 85 million people in over 165 countries.
The churches of the Anglican Communion are bound together by similar liturgies based on the English Book of Common Prayer.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is viewed as the spiritual leader of the Anglican Community, but is not viewed as being the “pope” of the Anglican Communion. The Archbishop cannot reverse decisions made by a national church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Church of England, which is the largest denomination in Britain.