Cardinal Vincent Nichols is to attend the Coronation of Protestant King Charles III today in England.
The monarch’s crowning will take place at Westminster Abbey, to a television audience of hundreds of millions and those taking part will include Catholic Bishops for the first time in half a millennium.
Cardinal Nichols has said:
As Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, I have been invited to contribute to the blessing of the newly crowned King, an innovation which is a further step towards the healing of our common ancient wounds.
Our history is indeed one of division and this too is evident in this Coronation. Central to its tradition is the taking of an oath by the King, before he is anointed and crowned. He does so in response to the questions: “Will you do the utmost of your power to maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion, established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolable the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline and government thereof, as by law established in England?”
He continued:
In one of the most important innovations of this Coronation, the King prays publicly, for all to hear. This prayer follows immediately the taking of the Oath. The King prays: “Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
During this Coronation, then, the complexities of British life, in its history, its traditions, its modern changes and transformation will be clearly expressed. But this is thoroughly and faithfully an expression of Christian faith and hope.
Prayer is at its very heart, from the silent prayer offered by the King before the high altar at its opening, a prayer placed there so as to express King Charles' wish to make it clear that his first allegiance is to God, through the public prayer he will proclaim, then the anointing with Chrism, the blessings and the celebration of the Holy Communion.
Anyone watching will be in no doubt that Christian faith and hope are in the foundations of our life.
Pope Francis has also given a relic of the true Cross to Charles as part of his coronation ceremony.
