He went on: “I hold myself bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with secular ideals.”
In this the new king was following in his mother’s footsteps. Known for her own Christian faith as well as her public role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Elizabeth led the nation in prayer services of thanksgiving and commemorations for the war dead. Since the 1930s, British monarchs have spoken to the nation via the radio and, later, television on Christmas Day.
People remark on Elizabeth’s very personal reflections about her own Christian beliefs in later broadcasts, but in fact her very first Christmas broadcast, after her accession to the throne in 1952, was highly personal and faithful too. “I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day,” she said, “that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I will be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.”
It was a bold step from a queen in 1952. Interfaith dialogue was the not yet the norm, and the presumption was that she was asking for the prayers of her subjects of whatever faith. At her coronation six months later, it became evident quite how dominant Anglicanism remained when only one cleric from another Christian denomination, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, was given a role in the ceremony, and a tiny one at that — he handed the queen the Bible on which she swore her oaths. No Roman Catholic was remotely present, let alone a Muslim, Jew or Hindu.
Britain’s King Charles III delivers his message during the recording of his first Christmas broadcast in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, Dec. 13, 2022. Charles evoked memories of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as he broadcast his first Christmas message as monarch on Dec. 25, 2022, in a speech that also paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of Britain’s public service workers, many of whom are in a fight with the government over pay. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)
Roll forward to 2022 and Charles’ first Christmas Day broadcast as monarch. After a tribute to his mother and her faith, and a reference to his visit to Bethlehem years earlier, he praised the number of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and gurdwaras offering solidarity with those in need as “the most inspiring expression of loving our neighbour as ourself.” The citation is from Leviticus as well as the New Testament, but anyone within earshot undoubtedly registered an acknowledgment of Christian teaching.
But importantly, there was no mention of his coronation and no request for prayers. The king, who has long been engaged in interfaith dialogue, would have been acutely aware that while asking for prayers, as his mother did, could be interpreted as an inclusive act, it could also be seen as exclusive, especially to that third of the British who have no faith.
This difficult balancing act is evident in the planning for the coronation. It will be above all else an Anglican service, but there is growing evidence of efforts to make it more ecumenical. The holy oil the Archbishop of Canterbury will use to anoint the king, symbolizing God’s blessing coming down upon him, is made from olives grown close to where Charles’ paternal grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, is buried, and was blessed by not only an Anglican bishop but a Greek Orthodox patriarch.
This is an innovation not seen before. In addition, the cross to be used in the coronation procession has embedded in it relics of the true cross, given by Pope Francis.
Of course, the coronation ritual is older than the Reformation, when England broke with Rome, and so is intrinsically Catholic. Still, it will be bracing to see a reliquary cross swaying over the introit of a service in which a monarch will swear to uphold a Protestant sect founded by Henry VIII, who ordered countless medieval shrines, including their relics, destroyed.
As the order of service has still not been published, quite what the role of other faiths will be is still not clear. Anglican canon law rules out prayers said by other faiths in Church of England churches; only a fortnight ago, Manchester Cathedral apologized after a Muslim call to prayer was chanted in its nave. But there is precedent for at least nominal involvement of other faiths, if only recent: Representatives of non-Anglican and non-Christian faiths processed in Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. One option may be that faith leaders offer the king a greeting during the coronation.
The Church of England, meanwhile, has issued a book of prayers, asking people to pray each day between Easter and May 6 for the king, with reflections on different elements of the ceremony and explaining its symbolism. The book also encourages people to pray for the nation and the world. Its compilers might also have asked people to pray for the Church of England, an institution, no less than the monarchy, whose future will be the subject of much discussion on Coronation Day.
This article originally appeared here.
