THE trumpeters of the Band of the Household Cavalry, resplendent in gold brocade, produced a stir as they trod heavily past pews of journalists, who were awaiting the arrival of the “ER” emblazoned on their chests.
They represented, perhaps, the apex of the pageantry on display at Westminster Abbey, awash with red and gold vesture for the eucharist to mark the inauguration of the tenth General Synod.
The preacher belonged to another household: Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher to the Papal Household, delivered a plea for unity, with an eye to a future agenda: “We should never allow a moral issue like that of sexuality divide us more than faith in Jesus of Nazareth.”
The Supreme Govenor herself cut a sober figure, in contrast, a thick grey jacket protecting her from the chill in the Abbey. But there was no mistaking the fervour of her subjects. The National Anthem was sung lustily, as the service drew to a close, the trumpet notes soaring above all, pure and bright.
The affection of the Synod for the Queen was expressed in the sustained applause that greeted the Archbishop’s reminder that she is now our longest-reigning monarch.
As he introduced her in Church House, Archbishop Welby sparked laughter as he plucked from the archives examples of less amicable relations between the Synod and the Sovereign.
In her remarks, the Queen reminded the Synod that all Christians were “entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation”. Members would have to “grapple with the difficult issues confronting our Church and our world”, she said. They should remember that, “in the midst of deep disagreements”, their predecessors had passed the women-bishops legislation. During the service at the Abbey, the Gospel was read by the Bishop of Stockport, the Rt Revd Libby Lane.
“Each new Synod inherits from its predecessor the same weighty responsibilities,” the Queen observed. “Collectively, you must continue to draw deeply on your faith, judgement, and life experiences, as well as that precious Anglican tradition of unity in fellowship, to discern the future path of the Church of England.
“As you put your hand into the hand of God, my prayer is that, as we sang in that joyous hymn this morning, ‘His glorious light may shine ever on our sight, and clothe us round, the while our path illuming’.”