At a reception with nine leaders representing different religious groups in Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth II spoke about the importance of faith and the role of the Church of England in a culture where all religion are free to express themselves. This feature includes additional reports and links
Queen Elizabeth said : Your Grace, Ladies and Gentlemen, Prince Philip and I are delighted to be with you today to pay tribute to the particular mission of Christianity and the general value of faith in this country.
This gathering is a reminder of how much we owe the nine major religious traditions represented here. They are sources of a rich cultural heritage and have given rise to beautiful sacred objects and holy texts, as we have seen today.
Yet these traditions are also contemporary families of faith. Our religions provide critical guidance for the way we live our lives, and for the way in which we treat each other. Many of the values and ideas we take for granted in this and other countries originate in the ancient wisdom of our traditions. Even the concept of a Jubilee is rooted in the Bible.
Here at Lambeth Palace we should remind ourselves of the significant position of the Church of England in our nation’s life. The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated. Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country.
It certainly provides an identity and spiritual dimension for its own many adherents. But also, gently and assuredly, the Church of England has created an environment for other faith communities and indeed people of no faith to live freely. Woven into the fabric of this country, the Church has helped to build a better society – more and more in active co-operation for the common good with those of other faiths.
This occasion is thus an opportunity to reflect on the importance of faith in creating and sustaining communities all over the United Kingdom. Faith plays a key role in the identity of many millions of people, providing not only a system of belief but also a sense of belonging. It can act as a spur for social action. Indeed, religious groups have a proud track record of helping those in the greatest need, including the sick, the elderly, the lonely and the disadvantaged. They remind us of the responsibilities we have beyond ourselves.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams, drew laughter from the multifaith crowd when he said before her speech that the Queen has shown that being religious is “not eccentric or abnormal”.
Referring to her, he said: “Thus you have been able to show so effectively that being religious is not eccentric or abnormal in terms of the kind of society we claim to be. On the contrary, if we take seriously the way our constitution works, the United Kingdom is a society where we might expect people to grasp the importance of symbols and traditions, not as a sign of mere conservatism or nostalgia but as a sign of what holds us together, what commits us to each other.”
The reception was one of the Queen’s first public engagements to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee year and she wore a red wool dress and jacket by Angela Kelly, finished off with a hat decorated with feathers.
Linking the concept of religion with her anniversary, she said: “Many of the values and ideas we take for granted in this and other countries originate in the ancient wisdom of our traditions. Even the concept of a jubilee is rooted in the Bible.”
The Church is under-appreciated says the Queen – see report above
Telegraph – The Queen has delivered a staunch and strongly-worded defence of the Church and religion in the face of a growing divide between faith and secularism. In a timely address to leaders of Britain’s nine main religions at Lambeth Palace, London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, she highlighted the importance of faith in society and the “critical guidance” it offered in life. “The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated,” she said. “Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country.”
More at : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/9084079/The-Church-is-under-appreciated-says-the-Queen.html
New prayers for a ‘wonderful queen’
Telegraph – It follows the traditional form of a collect, like others in the Diamond Jubilee “liturgical resources” available online on the Church of England website. These include collects from the Book of Common Prayer and extra items such as prayers for …Christopher Howse writes in his Sacred Mysteries column12 Feb 2012 :
More at : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9077948/Sacred-Mysteries-New-prayers-for-a-wonderful-queen.html
Big thank you to Queen launched in Worcestershire churches
Kidderminster Shuttle – As part of its celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Church of England has launched a Big thank you project for the monarch. The project gives people the opportunity to add personal well-wishes to the Queen by signing thank you letters …
More at : http://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/9522696.Big_thank_you_to_Queen_launched_in_Worcestershire_churches/
Elizabeth’s journey: the young queen
Telegraph – In those early years the Queen was faced with Princess Margaret’s wish to marry Group-Captain Peter Townsend, throwing into conflict her role as a supportive sister and Head of the Church of England. Her Commonwealth tour was beset with problems …
More at : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9074732/Elizabeths-journey-the-young-queen.html
Long to reign over us: Queen Elizabeth II in pictures
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/8507797/Long-to-reign-over-us-Queen-Elizabeth-II-in-pictures.html
The Queen’s diamond jubilee: Portrait of Elizabeth II’s reign
Guardian – Sixty years of pictures celebrating the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch since Queen Victoria. Click on each portrait to discover what was happening in the Queen’s life and times that year
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactive/2012/feb/06/queen-diamond-jubilee
Tell us about your church’s royal connections
C of E Press release – To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, ChurchCare – the Church of England’s online resource caring for its 16,000 church buildings – is collecting stories about the regal links between churches, cathedrals and the monarchy. ChurchCare is looking for tales of visits, burials, baptisms, commemorations, weddings, funerals, battlefields, blessings and more. They are especially interested in accounts involving Queen Elizabeth II, but your stories can come from any period in history. Whatever your royal connection, ChurchCare wants to hear about it! Anne Sloman, Chair of the Church Buildings Council, said: “These individual histories will be woven together to create a ‘Royal Trail’ around England’s churches and cathedrals, celebrating the unique links between churches and the Crown in a remarkable Jubilee year.” The Royal Trail will be publicised and promoted via www.ChurchCare.co.uk. The deadline for submissions is 1 May 2012. Please send any information or queries to ben.greener@churchofengland.org or visit www.ChurchCare.co.uk for more information.
More at : http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/02/tell-us-about-your-church%E2%80%99s-royal-connections.aspx