On 16th September, King Charles invited faith leaders to an audience at the Palace.
Our Cardinal Vincent writes:
“Earlier this evening [16.09.22] I was privileged to be part of an Audience with King Charles. He invited senior faith leaders to Buckingham Palace in order to address us. […]
This speech is well worth reading.
In my personal conversation with the King, I assured him that the Catholic community had continued, during these days of mourning, in heartfelt prayer for his mother.
He expressed his gratitude for this. And then, turning back to me, he asked me to ensure that the Catholics of our Diocese know of his thanks and gratitude for these prayers. […]
With every good wish,
+Vincent
REMARKS TO FAITH LEADERS
My Lord Archbishop, Dean, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am
very grateful to have had this opportunity to meet you all, so soon
after my Accession, in what are inevitably the saddest of
circumstances for me and my Family. I have been touched by
your kind words of condolence more than I can possibly say.
They mean a great deal to me.
I also wanted, before all of you today, to confirm my
determination to carry out my responsibilities as Sovereign of
all communities around this country and the Commonwealth
and in a way which reflects the world in which we now live.
I am a committed Anglican Christian, and at my Coronation
I will take an oath relating to the settlement of the Church of
England. At my Accession, I have already solemnly given– as
has every Sovereign over the last 300 years – an Oath which
pledges to maintain and preserve the Protestant faith in Scotland.
I have always thought of Britain as a ‘community of
communities.’ That has led me to understand that the Sovereign
has an additional duty – less formally recognized but to be no
less diligently discharged. It is the 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.
This diversity is not just enshrined in the laws of our country, it
is enjoined by my own faith. As a member of the Church of
England, my Christian beliefs have love at their very heart. By
my most profound convictions, therefore – as well as by my
position as Sovereign – 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.
The beliefs that flourish in, and contribute to, our richly
diverse society differ. They, and our society, can only thrive
through a clear collective commitment to those vital principles
of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit and care for
others which are, to me, the essence of our nationhood. I am
determined, as King, to preserve and promote those principles
across all communities, and for all beliefs, with all my heart.
This conviction was the foundation of everything my
beloved mother did for our country, over her years as our Queen.
It has been the foundation of my own work as Prince of Wales.
It will continue to be the foundation of all my work as King.
Charles Rex
