Cardinal Vincent Nichols has given a “Loyal Address” to King Charles III ahead of his coronation in May.
The Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales was invited to Buckingham Palace to represent the Catholic Church.
He was among the representatives of 27 “privileged bodies” summoned to the palace to make speeches to the Sovereign on Thursday.
Cardinal Nichols said afterwards: “I was privileged to offer the Loyal Address to His Majesty King Charles III and to assure him of the support and prayers of the Catholic community of England and Wales.
“May God bless His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort, preserve them both in health of mind and body and grant them every grace and blessing now and for the years to come.”
In his address to the King, Cardinal Nichols recalled the affection that both he and the Catholics of England and Wales held for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September after a short illness.
“We pray that she now has an everlasting place in heaven, embraced by the splendour and glory of God, to whom she was so devoted,” he added.
The cardinal continued: “Your Majesty, we rejoice in your Accession.
“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, to the protection of the environment, to the relief of poverty, to the promotion of beauty in architecture and living conditions, and your steadfast opposition to religious persecution.
“Your Majesty, at this solemn moment I wish to assure you that the Catholic community is profoundly supportive of these fundamental concerns.
“We strive to offer to our society, Your Kingdom, an education to young people that is rooted in faith and its consequent commitment to human dignity, expressive of service to those most in need and inspired by a vocational call to contribute to the common good and a shared prosperity.
“Our faith demands that we have a particular concern for the fate and future of those fleeing violence and poverty, for those trapped in human trafficking and modern slavery, for those dedicated by their profession to the service of the sick and poor, among whom are many Catholics from numerous countries of the world.”
Cardinal Nichols told the King that the Catholic community drew and held together “in a common faith” people from different nationalities, languages, cultures and customs and that it helped them “to find a settled way of life here and to be generous contributors to the common good”.
He said: “Our parishes and communities are places of rich human diversity, outreach and profound communion.”
The cardinal said that the values of freed of conscience, generosity of spirit and care for others, which the King said he held as “the essence of our nationhood”, were also “values that the Catholic Church holds dear indeed”.
Cardinal Nichols added: “Your Majesty, as you approach the solemn moment of your Coronation, and in all the kingly service that you will continue to give in the years to come, I assure you, with great confidence, of the support and prayers of the Catholic community in England and Wales.”
Among the representatives other bodies to make a Loyal Address to King Charles were those belonging to Church of England, the free churches, the Church of Scotland, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Quakers.
Speeches were also made by representatives from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, London, St Andrew’s, Glasgow and Aberdeen, the Bank of England, the Lieutenancy of the City of London and the City of London Corporation.
Such loyal addresses were previously known as “humble addresses” and historically they served to provide the opportunity for major institutions to demonstrate their loyalty to the Crown.
The privilege is today largely ceremonial but it nevertheless continues underpins the importance of such organisations in the public life of the nation.
Queen Elizabeth II received the privileged bodies five times during her 70-year reign. These were at her accession in 1952, her Silver Jubilee in 1977, the engagement of Charles and Diana in 1981, the Golden Jubilee of 2002, the Diamond Jubilee of 2012.
(Photo: Marcin Mazur, Catholic Communications Network)