“DIVERSITY of culture, ethnicity, and faith provides strength, not weakness,” the King said in his Christmas broadcast this year.
In his third Christmas message, he spoke of his “deep sense of pride” at the response to the “anger and lawlessness” in various towns during the summer — a reference to the riots that erupted in the wake of the murder of three girls at a children’s dance party in Southport in July (News, 9 August). He described how “communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours but to repair. To repair not just buildings, but relationships. And, most importantly, to repair trust; by listening and, through understanding, deciding how to act for the good of all.”
Listening was “a recurrent theme of the nativity story”, he said. “Mary, the mother of Jesus, listened to the angel who revealed to her a different future full of hope for all people. The message of the angels to the shepherds — that there should be peace on Earth — in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies. It rings true to this day for people of goodwill across the world.”
The King referred to his recent visit to the South Pacific to attend the Commonwealth summit (News, 25 October), during which he issued a call to “reject the language of division”.
“I was reminded constantly of the strength which institutions, as well as individuals, can draw from one another,” he said in his Christmas message. “And of how diversity of culture, ethnicity, and faith provides strength, not weakness. Across the Commonwealth, we are held together by a willingness to listen to each other, to learn from one another and to find just how much we have in common. Because, through listening, we learn to respect our differences, to defeat prejudice, and to open up new possibilities.”
The King, who holds the title “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England”, has long championed interfaith dialogue. Shortly after his accession, he spoke of his duty “to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practise through the religions, cultures, traditions, and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals . . . 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.”
At his coronation, peers belonging to different faith traditions presented some of the Regalia (News, 6 May). At the close of the service, he received a spoken greeting delivered in unison by representatives from Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and Buddhist communities.
During a visit to Southport in the wake of the attack, he told residents: “In times of great sorrow, we must remember the strength of our unity.”
His Christmas messages was delivered against a backdrop of strains in interfaith relationships. The Archbishop of Canterbury told the House of Lords in July that interfaith dialogue had “almost collapsed” since the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October (News, 2 August). He condemned the riots that erupted in the wake of the Southport attack as “anti-Muslim, anti-refugee, and anti-asylum-seeker . . . the Christian iconography that has been exploited by the far right is an offence to our faith, and all that Jesus was and is” (News, 16 August).
In common with many of the Bishops’ messages (News, 24 December), the King’s Christmas speech referred to the “devastating effects of conflict” around the world. “The Gospels speak so vividly of conflict and teach the values with which we can overcome it,” he said. “The example that Jesus gave us is timeless and universal. It is to enter the world of those who suffer, to make a difference to their lives and so bring hope where there is despair.
Quoting from “Once in Royal David’s City”, he spoke of God’s “redeeming love”. “That is the heart of the nativity story and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great faiths in the love and mercy of God in times of joy and of suffering, calling us to bring light where there is darkness,” he said.
His speech was recorded at the chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London, in Fitzrovia. It was the only building preserved when the hospital, founded in 1745, was demolished in 2008, with the site now home to luxury apartments. The chapel, where the first service was held on Christmas Day 1891, is now described as “an enriching cultural space for creative health and wellbeing”.
The King and the Princess of Wales have both been treated for cancer this year (News, 28 March). He offered “special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed”.