The King can offer leadership in a world that seems hostile to faith, says James Somerville-Meikle
In his Journal of a Soul, Pope John XXIII noted on April 29, 1903 that “just now Rome is officially celebrating the arrival of Edward VII, King of England”. The young Angelo Roncalli was at seminary in Rome at the time, but he was clearly not impressed by the pomp and pageantry of the visit. “I too saw the King; but all the commotion irritated me and made me sad,” he wrote.
He described the visit as “a glorious page in the history of the Roman pontificate; a highly significant event this, of a heretical King of Protestant England, which has persecuted the Catholic Church for more than three centuries, going in person to pay his respects to the poor old Pope”.
The comments illustrate the long and complex history between the Catholic Church and the British Isles, which has not always been a happy one.
When Roncalli wrote in 1903, the anti-Catholic penal laws were still within the memory of some long-lived British Catholics. Yet this May 6, Catholics across the land will join others in celebrating the coronation of King Charles III. It is a reminder of how far we have come, and the understanding that what people of different Christian denominations have in common is far greater than our differences.
Edward VII was the last British monarch to swear that the Mass was “superstitious and idolatrous” at his coronation in August 1902. Those words date back to the Act of Settlement of 1701, designed to secure the Protestant succession to the throne after the exile of King James II to France. Edward’s son, George V, wanted the oath changed ahead of his coronation in June 1911.
Following the Accession Declaration Act of 1910, the anti-Catholic language was dropped and monarchs had only to swear that they were “faithful Protestants”. This was the oath that Elizabeth II took at her coronation in June 1953; arguably she did more than any other person in recent history to improve relations between Catholics and Protestants in the UK – through deeds and not just words.
In 1995, Queen Elizabeth attended Vespers in Westminster Cathedral to mark its 100th anniversary. A few years later she appointed Archbishop Basil Hume – the man she famously called “my Cardinal” – to the Order of Merit. Following his death, she travelled to Newcastle to unveil a statue of him in his home city.
More recently, Queen Elizabeth saw one of the final anti-Catholic laws in this country removed with the passing of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013; members of the Royal Family no longer need to renounce their claim to the throne if they marry a Catholic.
There is every sign that the King will continue his late mother’s work to improve understanding and relationships between people of different Christian denominations and different faiths.
As Prince of Wales, he spoke out about the “evil persecution” of Christians around the world and he has been a public supporter of groups such as Aid to the Church in Need. He was one of the first leaders to visit the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London after the Russian invasion of Ukraine – a visit they still fondly speak about at the welcome centre for refugees next door.
Over the years, the King has shown a deep knowledge and interest in the Catholic faith. He has spoken movingly about St John Henry Newman, describing him in L’Osservatore Romano as a “fearless defender of truth” and a “thinker ahead of his time”.
It’s not just British monarchs who are taking a greater interest in Rome; Rome also seems to be investing more in its relationship with Britain, including its sovereign. At least two cardinals and a handful of other senior prelates are likely to be at the coronation service in Westminster Abbey.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, is expected to attend to represent Pope Francis. Cardinal Vincent Nichols will represent the Catholics of England and Wales, while the new Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, will attend as the Holy Father’s representative in the United Kingdom.
There, too, will be the Duke of Norfolk. As Earl Marshal, Edward Fitzalan-Howard leads a family with long associations with Catholic life in England. His predecessors have traditionally been charged with directing great state occasions and he has oversight of the coronation arrangements.
His predecessor, the 15th Duke, Henry Fitzalan-Howard, was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Union of Great Britain in 1870. Indeed, the first meeting of the Union took place at the then Duke’s London home – Norfolk House in St James’s Square – in February 1871, during the reign of Queen Victoria.
By that time the penal laws had been repealed, but discrimination against Catholics continued in many forms, and it was felt that an association should promote and defend Catholic interests. Some of the earliest work of the Catholic Union secured the exemption of nuns from jury service and ensured Catholics had equal rights in terms of guardianship of children.
Today, 150 years later, the UK is a very different place, not least in how Catholics are perceived and treated in society. Yet it is clear that our faith has not been completely removed as grounds for suspicious and separate treatment.
A recent survey from the Catholic Union found that almost a third of responders had felt disadvantaged at work on the basis of their faith, with particular problems in NHS hospitals, universities and the police. Almost half of people said they did not feel comfortable talking about their faith with colleagues.
Given that the census data for 2022 revealed that less than half of the population of England and Wales describe themselves as Christian, the idea of having a “Defender of the Faith” is perhaps more appealing to all Christian denominations than ever before.
Catholics, along with other Christians and people of faith, will be looking to King Charles for leadership in a world that feels increasingly hostile to people who believe in God. Despite his lack of excitement, the future John XXIII acknowledged that Edward VII’s visit to Rome in 1903 was “a sign of the times that after such a night of storms we see a new dawn rising”.
Let us hope and pray that the reign of King Charles is part of another new dawn for relations between Christians and people of other faiths.
James Somerville-Meikle is the Deputy Director of the Catholic Union
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