**CONVOCATIONS** (CONVOCAZIONI). — In the Anglican Church, these are the ecclesiastical assemblies of the Upper House (bishops) and the Lower House (inferior clergy). With due reservations, they may be considered as a continuation of the provincial ecclesiastical synods that were in use in England before the schism. Since 1885, a House of Laity has also participated in these assemblies as a consultative body.
The convocations have very limited powers due to the subjection of the Anglican Church to the authority of the king, even in matters of faith and discipline. It is the king's prerogative to convene them; in reality, until the Bangor controversy (v.) of 1717, they were convened only sporadically. After that, they were discontinued until 1852, when they were re-established, though the prohibition against promulgating any decree or canon without the king's permission remained in force.
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