According to him, the ceremony was essentially a two-hour televised church service that emphasised the teachings of the Gospel and paid great respect to the Bible.

Comfort is giving away 500,000 hard copies of his book "Defender of the Faith" to individuals residing in the United States of America. Read more

The coronation has attracted controversy—not least over its $125 million price tag during a cost-of-living crisis—even as opinion polls show dwindling public interest in the monarchy.

But despite controversies, it will still be an opportunity to project the soft-power of British royal pageantry and reaffirm Christianity's place in public affairs, including the presence of Britain's small but significant Catholic minority.

"Being anti-Catholic has been an element of British identity for centuries," Father Timothy Radcliffe, former master of the Dominicans and one of Britain's best-known Catholic preachers, told OSV News.

"I'd hope an event like this will help our church become yet more integrated into national life at a time when, like most countries, we face threats of disintegration, increasing inequality and a declining sense of the common good."

King Charles inherits the duties and prerogatives of head of state in an unbroken line of monarchs dating back to the 10th century. He also assumes the role of supreme governor of the Church of England, along with the traditional title of "fidei defensor," or "defender of the faith," bestowed in 1521 by Pope Leo X on King Henry VIII.

And while he's long declared his wish, in a modern multicultural society, to be defender of all faiths, not just one, King Charles III reaffirmed his Protestant identity in speeches after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022—and will reaffirm it again during the coronation service.

This has caused some disappointment, not least among Britain's Catholics.

The Catholic Church will be represented at the abbey by Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, who will share a blessing with Protestant and Orthodox leaders.

Catholic bishops from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also will join the congregation, along with the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the newly appointed apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, Spanish Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.

But Catholic prelates were not included among 50 public figures assigned formal roles in the order of service, published April 28. This will include a Bible reading by Britain Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a practising Hindu, and the presentation of regalia by Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu leaders.

Susan Doran, an Oxford University monarchy historian, said she regretted the bulk of the ceremony will be exclusively Protestant, with Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and other Anglican prelates playing a dominant role.

"With its plummeting membership and many problems, it's not surprising the Church of England seeks to hold on to its link with the monarchy, and sees the coronation as an opportunity to proclaim this," Doran told OSV News.

"But at a time when the monarchy seems to be losing meaning for many people, I think it will fuel further alienation if they go too far down a narrow Protestant route—particularly among the young and people of other faiths," she added.

That could be the reaction of some Catholics, too, especially those conscious of how bitter past conflicts have defined modern Britain's religious outlook.

Relations with Rome, dating from the first mission to Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the sixth century, were broken off under Henry VIII in 1536 during the Reformation conflicts.

After a brief restoration under Henry's Catholic daughter, Mary I, hostility reared again under the Protestant Elizabeth I, who was declared excommunicated and deposed as a "servant of wickedness" in 1570 by Pope Pius V.

Persecution of Catholics intensified under Elizabeth's successor, James I, particularly after the infamous 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up the king and his parliament.

Some historians now dispute whether such a plot really existed. But it sealed the fate of English Catholics for the next 250 years as perceived heretics and traitors.

Even in the late 19th century, the Catholic Church was treated as an alien element in national life, deprived of equal rights. Although a church hierarchy was reestablished in 1850, it took until 1871 for Catholic academics even to be admitted to Oxford and Cambridge universities, and until St. John Paul II's historic 1982 visit for formal diplomatic ties to be established.

Since then, the Catholic Church's profile has been rebuilt, bringing it closer to full acceptance as a British institution.

Recent statistics show that Catholics make up around 13% of the United Kingdom's 67 million inhabitants, with Anglicans at 14%, although religious affiliations have declined sharply across the country, with only around half of citizens declaring themselves Christian in recent surveys, compared to more than 70% two decades ago.

Although King Charles's consort, Queen Camilla, was baptized a Protestant, she was married by a Catholic priest in 1973 to her Catholic first husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles, and brought up her son and daughter as Catholics.

Technical formalities aside, Charles has shown personal openness to Catholics, postponing his own wedding to Camilla in 2005 to attend St. John Paul's funeral.

Before his fourth Vatican visit in October 2019 for the canonisation of St John Henry Newman, Charles published an article in L'Osservatore Romano and The Times of London hailing the event as a celebration "not merely for Catholics, but for all who cherish the values by which he was inspired."

Heading a 12-member Catholic delegation to pledge allegiance to the new king March 9, Cardinal Nichols duly paid tribute to Charles's "commitment to religious faith" and assured him of Catholic support.

On April 19, the pope himself reciprocated, donating two splinters from the Cross of Christ, preserved among relics in the Vatican Museums, for incorporation into a new Cross of Wales, which will lead the king's coronation procession.

The king will be crowned as he sits on a 700-year-old chair with the solid-gold St. Edward's Crown, made for Charles II in 1661. He will be presented with the orb and sceptre pictured last autumn sitting atop the late queen's coffin.

Holy oil for anointing the monarch and Camilla was consecrated March 4 at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Nichols and other British Catholic bishops urged Catholics to take a full part in coronation events, including special weekend Masses and a May 3-5 triduum of prayer, as well as a nationwide day of volunteering and charity work set for May 8. Continue reading

In another first since the Reformation, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, will bless the new monarch at the end of the ceremony.

The service is said to reflect contemporary society and will also feature leaders from Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities.

Along with Cardinal Nichols, The Catholic Church will be represented by bishops from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is representing Pope Francis.

The newly appointed apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, Spanish Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, will also attend.

"The service contains new elements that reflect the diversity of our contemporary society," said Archbishop Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Church of England.

"It is my prayer that all who share in this service, whether they are of faith or no faith, will find ancient wisdom and new hope that brings inspiration and joy."

The ceremony will also include female bishops for the first time; hymns and prayers will be sung and spoken in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic, and English.

Public invited to say oath

For the first time in history, public participation will be a part of the ceremony, with members of the public invited to say the oath to the King out loud.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will ask those in attendance to swear allegiance to the monarch. There will be a fanfare before the Most Reverend Justin Welby leads the crowd in saying, "God Save The King," with attendees responding, "God Save King Charles. Long Live King Charles. May The King live forever."

Cardinal Nichols said: "I think it is a very remarkable moment, it is obviously something quite new."

He told Sky News "the important thing to remember" was that the new Homage of the People, which will replace the traditional Homage of Peers, was "an invitation, it is not a command."

Nichols added: "If that is what you want to do, here is your moment to express your sense of loyalty and your sense of support, and maybe prayer, for the King.

"He [the Archbishop of Canterbury] has offered a formula of words, but I take that as an offering as well.

"It is a lovely invitation, and I hope people will take it up in their own way to express what hopefully is in their hearts, that they wish King Charles God's blessing and they wish him well in his spirit of service which he brings to this coronation."

After the coronation ceremony, a joint greeting from other religions will also be read. According to the programme representatives of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism will greet Charles III as "neighbours in faith."

Sources

The Tablet

AP News

America Magazine

Sky News

Speaking on a new royal 'docuseries' the Church of England's most senior cleric from 1991 to 2002 says he was 'pitched in to help' with Charles and Dianna's marriage.

In a frank discussion, he tells ITVXs 'The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor' how he was called in to try to rescue the couple's turbulent relationship.

"I found myself as the Archbishop of Canterbury pitched in to this.

"I remember one meeting at Number 10 Downing Street with [former Prime Minister] John Major and some members of the Cabinet, wrestling with what we could do to help.

"The role I took was to try and meet up," Carey (now Lord Carey) says.

The "dynamic (between Charles and Diana) was not going to be successful.

"Charles, deep thinking, a slower personality, reflective. Diana, dynamic, vibrant, less driven. It wasn't going to work."

The royals and the archbishops

For centuries, Archbishops of Canterbury have been entrusted with helping members of the Royal Family tackle some of the trickiest issues of the day.

Probably the most famous case was one Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was called in to help with.

That was when King Henry VIII and Cranmer wrestled with the King's demand to divorce Katherine of Aragon. Cranmer successfully negotiated with the Pope. He then validated Henry and Anne's marriage.

Coronation

The Coronation, which is just three weeks away, will see both King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla crowned in front of 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey.

Charles' and Diana's sons, William and Harry, will be present.

Source

• Daily Mail

As king, Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England.

Speaking for the 12-member delegation, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster pledged his church's allegiance to the new king.

"For so many years, we have observed your desire and unstinting efforts to explore and enhance the well-being of the entire human family, through your commitment to religious faith, protection of the environment and relief of poverty," Nichols said.

"The Catholic community is profoundly supportive of these fundamental concerns, as we strive to offer our society, your kingdom, an education for young people that is rooted in faith and its consequent commitment to human dignity."

The March 9 ceremony also heard similar pledges made by representatives of numerous other Christian denominations and religious and academic communities.

Nichols said British Catholics remembered the "remarkable and unique role" played by the king's late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and would give "support and prayers" to Charles III, while also appreciating his "steadfast opposition to religious persecution".

Charles paid tribute to the contribution of churches and other associations to the UK's "national fabric" and to advancing mutual knowledge and understanding.

"You underpin the very foundations on which our country is built and help construct a framework of excellence and achievement within which our civil society functions and our national narrative can be formed," Charles said.

Britain's Catholic community held "together in a common faith" people from "different nationalities, languages, cultures and customs," Nichols said.

The Catholic faith required "a particular concern" toward those "fleeing violence and poverty" and "trapped in human trafficking and modern slavery".

Catholics share the monarch's view that society could thrive only "through a clear collective commitment to vital principles of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit and care for others".

Catholic coronation heritage

As yet details of a Catholic role in the upcoming coronation haven't been announced.

The Protestant service will be held, as it has for nine centuries, in Westminster Abbey.

It will be organised, according to tradition, by the Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan-Howard — Britain's highest-ranking noble and most senior lay Catholic.

The ceremony will feature a Gospel choir and Greek Orthodox music in memory of the King's Greek-born father, Prince Philip, and the Latin Veni Creator Spiritus used at episcopal consecrations.

Buckingham Palace sources says the religious ceremony will be representative of different faiths and community groups, in line with the king's wishes. They also say the traditional coronation oath to preserve the "rights and privileges" of Protestant bishops and clergy was likely to be modified.

Joseph Shaw, chairman of England's Latin Mass Society, says the royal coronation ceremony, dating back a thousand years, remains "powerfully and profoundly Catholic" in design.

"The idea of monarchy remains consonant with Catholic conceptions for the ordering of society under God. Whatever the personal limitations of particular monarchs, monarchy is something Catholics should cherish for what it represents."

As Prince of Wales, Charles pledged to uphold his church's role in "protecting the free practice of all religious faiths".

Source

• Our Sunday Visitor

The oil was pressed from olives harvested on the Mount of Olives, and has been perfumed with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, amber oil and orange blossoms.

The ceremony was conducted by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, and the Most Rev Hosam Naoum, the Anglican archbishop in Jerusalem.

The ritual was held at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion and burial.

Reflecting modern animal-friendly sensitivities, the oil used to anoint the King will not include any ingredients from animals. Previous versions have included civet oil and ambergris from the intestines of whales.

The anointing of the King has echoes of a christening or the ordination into religious orders, with the monarch being symbolically touched with holy oil on the head, chest and hands.

However, this was considered such a sacred moment that television cameras were prohibited from filming it in 1953.

There has been speculation about whether the anointing will be shown on TV during the coronation of King Charles III.

Deep historic links

The oil has a royal family significance, partly using olives grown on the Mount of Olives at the Monastery of Mary Magdalene, where the King's grandmother, Princess Alice, is buried.

In his Christmas message, the King spoke of his own Christian faith and how much he had been moved when he visited biblical sites, such as Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, welcomed the use of oil from the Mount of Olives, a site outside Jerusalem with many biblical connections.

"This demonstrates the deep historic link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land," said the archbishop. "From ancient kings through to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place."

The implements used for the anointing, including a spoon, are rare survivors of the original medieval coronation regalia, most of which were destroyed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

Charles will be formally crowned on 6 May at Westminster Abbey in London during a ceremony combining elements of tradition with modern touches that highlight the changing face of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Sources

AP News

BBC

The Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life has also called for the number of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords to be reduced.

The report, titled "Living with Difference", calls for a major overhaul of aspects of public life to reflect the realities of an increasingly multicultural and secular Britain.

The commission, led by former high court judge, Baronness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, spent two years in public consultation before issuing its report.

She called the report a "new settlement for religion and belief in the UK".

The commission's patrons include a former archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Rowan Williams, and its members are drawn from all major religions in the UK, as well as academia and the British Humanist Association.

The report states that society "needs customs, symbols and ceremonies which give public expression to how it sees itself".

It says that those responsible for such events, including the coronation, should "ensure that the pluralist character of modern society is reflected".

The last coronation, of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, was an explicitly Christian ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

It involved the monarch swearing to uphold Protestantism and protect the Church of England and its bishops and clergy.

The commission's report also recommended that schools not be able to select children on the basis of faith.

And it called for an abolition of a legal requirement for schools to provide daily acts of worship of a Christian character.

But the commission wants religious education - as distinct from religious instruction - to be a compulsory subject taught from a nationally determined curriculum.

The report also recommended that the UK Ministry of Justice should study the workings of religious tribunals and courts, such as Muslim sharia and Jewish Beth Din courts.

This is in order to disseminate best practice and promote gender equality.

Sources

• The Guardian
• The Guardian
• The Observer
• Image: Radio Times

In the ceremony an ancient Tongan title called Tu'i Kanokupolu, that pre-dates the monarchy by centuries, passes to Tupou VI.

The coronation will take place on Saturday 4 July.

In 1845 an ambitious young warrior, strategist, and orator Taufaʻahau united Tonga into a kingdom.

He held the chiefly title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but had been baptised with the name Siaosi in 1831.

He was proclaimed king in 1845 after winning control of the monarchy from two other royal lines.

In 1875, with the help of missionary Shirley Waldemar Baker, he declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy; formally adopted the western royal style; emancipated the "serfs"; enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and freedom of the press; and limited the power of the chiefs.

US anthropologist Adrienne L. Kaeppler of the Smithsonian Institution said Tongans' attitudes towards the monarchy had changed over the years but there was still a deep affection for the royals.

Kaeppler said that for Tongans, the kava ceremony, or Taumafa Kava, is as important as the official coronation.

She said everyone is waiting to see the Western-style coronation.

"They're dressed like European monarchs, they have the cloaks of velvet and ermine, and crowns are put on their heads."

Last month a Tongan pastor said the coronation of King Tupou VI would be different from previous such events because the country has a more democratically elected parliament.

Reverend Simote Vea says most people in his generation have seen three coronations in their lifetimes but this year's coronation will see more commoners participating rather than watching from the sidelines.

"It's a new coronation in the sense that it's a new era now that we have a more democratically elected government and the government is prepared to host an exciting event meaning that it's the people who are involved in government now."

Source

• abc.net.au
• themalaymailonline.com
• wikipedia.org
• Image: japantimes.co.jp

A retired Methodist minister, D'Arcy Wood, has been chosen to place the crown on the king's head.

Wood lives in Gisborne, a town about 55 kilometers from Melbourne.

He was born in Tonga while his father A. Harold Wood was principal at the Free Wesleyan Church's college in 1924.

He told the paper that "I know the king from his time when he was the high commissioner for Tonga in Canberra in the 1990s — he and his wife were among many Tongans who came to the church I was the minister at."

The official eight-day coronation programme runs from 27 June till 7 July.

It will begin on Saturday with the king's investiture as the 24th Tu‘i Kanokupolu at a royal kava ceremony, the taumafa kava, at the Mala‘e Pangai Lahi.

The coronation service and ceremony will be held on Saturday, 4 July at the Centenary Church.

Between 27 June and 7 July the program includes a military parade, cultural performances and feasting.

The coronation celebration ends with a Military Tattoo on 7 July.

Source

• nzkanivapacific.co.nz
• heraldsun.com.au