UNITED KINGDOM: People watching King Charles’ Coronation around the world will be invited to join the “chorus of millions” and swear allegiance to the monarch and his heirs, say organisers. For the first time in history, the public will be given an active role in the historic ceremony.
Several striking changes to the ancient service were unveiled on Saturday, including the first-ever Homage of the People. In a coronation full of firsts, lady clergy will play a significant role, and the King himself will offer a loud prayer.
For the first time, religious leaders from other religions will participate actively in the Christian service. Saturday’s Coronation will be the first to involve other languages used in Britain, with hymns to be sung in Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, and Welsh.
Despite modifications made to represent different religions, the three vows King Charles will swear, which are the heart of the tradition, remain the same, notably the vow to uphold “the Protestant Reformed Religion.”
The complete details of the Westminster Abbey service, whose theme is “called to serve,” have been made public by Lambeth Palace.
It will “recognise and celebrate tradition” as well as “new elements that reflect the diversity of our contemporary society,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The “homage of the people”
People worldwide will be urged to cry out and swear loyalty to King Charles, involving the public in the event for the first time.
This “homage of the people” has taken the place of the customary “homage of peers,” during which hereditary peers swore allegiance to the newly installed monarch. Instead, people in the Abbey and people watching it at home will be asked to pay homage in what the Lambeth Palace described as a “chorus of millions.”
The following will be written in the order of service, “All who so desire, in the Abbey and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me, God.”
A spokesperson for Lambeth Palace, the archbishop’s office, stated, “The homage of the people is particularly exciting because that’s brand new.”
“Our hope is that when the Archbishop urges everyone to join in, people everywhere, even if they’re watching alone at home on TV, will say it out loud—this a sense of a tremendous cry of solidarity for the King from across the country and throughout the world,” the spokesman added.
The oaths, which haven’t altered in decades, will retain the Protestant vow, but Lambeth Palace said that the Archbishop of Canterbury would “contextualise” them.
Beforehand, he will say that the Church of England will work to foster an atmosphere in which “people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.”
As a part of ancient service, peers from the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Sikh communities will present the monarch with pieces of the coronation ceremony, such as bracelets, the ring, the robe, and the glove.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, who is a practising Hindu, will read Colossians from the Biblical book. For the first time, religious representatives from many Christian traditions—including Catholic Cardinal Vincent Nichols—will share the blessing.
Following the religious observance, representatives from the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish communities will greet King Charles.
Charles’ decision to support interfaith discussion and honour the main religions practised in the UK is a reflection of his steadfast belief in fostering unity among many faiths.
The greeting was described as “an unprecedented gesture that will reflect the religious diversity of the Realms of King Charles III” by a Lambeth Palace spokesperson.
The greeting won’t be audible to most people watching outside Westminster Abbey due to the Chief Rabbi’s observance of the Jewish Sabbat, which forbids the use of electricity, including microphones.
King Charles will pray aloud while using phrases from the hymn “I vow to thee, my country,” as well as passages from the biblical books of Galatians and Proverbs.
For the first time since the Church of England enabled women to serve as bishops in 2014, female clergy will be present for the ceremony. Along with the archbishop, the communion will be served by the bishops of Chelmsford, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, and Guli Francis-Dehqani.
A British bishop, said, “The formation was first and foremost an act of Christian worship. Those who participate in this service, whether religious or not, will discover ancient knowledge and new hope that will inspire and delight them.”
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