The new Archbishop of Canterbury is considering severing ties between the Church of England and the state, it is reported.
Dr Rowan Williams is said to have commissioned a report into the "whole nature of disestablishment and the shape of a national church".
The Times claims that Dr Williams has asked the Constitution Unit at the University of London to draw up a "detailed blueprint" for the disestablishment of the Church.
Severing ties with the state would have "huge symbolic and practical benefits", a draft of the document is said to state.
The church was tied to the state when Henry VIII appointed himself supreme ruler of the Church of England in the early 16th century
A spokesman for the cleric told the newspaper: "Dr Williams is at the stage of exploring questions about the Church and state.
"He takes an evolutionary view on the basis that this relationship has constantly evolved. While he has worked with the Welsh disestablishment, he does not assume that is the right model for England."
It is also said to argue that Anglicans would benefit greatly from control over their own appointments, ending the practice whereby Downing Street approves senior posts.
The former Archbishop of Wales has not yet seen the document, the paper says.
Dr George Carey, the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, warned earlier this year that disestablishment could lead to the collapse of civilised society.