Police named the men as Kyle Spotswood, 26, of Dagenham Road, and Sidney Cordle, 52, of Knowle Lane, both Sheffield.

They were arrested following an incident at Canterbury Cathedral.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said they had been charged under Section Two of the 1860 Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act, which says it is an offence to disrupt a church service.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison if found guilty.

The two men were released on police bail on the condition that they do not enter Kent until their first court appearance.

They will attend Canterbury Magistrates' Court on April 7.

During the service two men with placards bearing the words "Support the persecuted church" and "No to Sharia law" stood in front of the pulpit as Dr Rowan Williams began to speak, but were swiftly removed by police.

The men were protesting against recent comments made by Dr Williams regarding the adoption of Islamic Sharia law in Britain.

Security had been stepped up at the cathedral this Easter following the controversy surrounding Dr Williams's comments last month.

Canterbury Cathedral spokesman Christopher Robinson described the incident as a "minor disturbance".

Mr Robinson said: "The Archbishop altered the start of his sermon slightly to rebut their claims.

"He then asked everybody to pray for them, and for all Christians persecuted for their beliefs."

Last month the Archbishop was widely criticised after he called for aspects of Islamic sharia law to be adopted in Britain.

He said during an interview on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that it "seems inevitable" that elements of the Muslim law, such as divorce proceedings, would be incorporated into British legislation.