The Gospel “has brought hope” during the COVID-19 pandemic, the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II has said in a message to the (Anglican) Church of England.
“For people of faith, the last few years have been particularly hard, with unprecedented restrictions in accessing the comfort and reassurance of public worship,” she said at the church’s synod in a speech read for her by her youngest child, Prince Edward.
“For many, it has been a time of anxiety, of grief, and of weariness.
“Yet the Gospel has brought hope, as it has done throughout the ages; and the Church has adapted and continued its ministry, often in new ways, such as digital forms of worship.”
Queen Elizabeth is a committed Christian and she showed her faith in reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, Christian Today reported.
She noted, “St. Paul reminds us that all Christians are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, and the deepening of relations across the great Christian traditions has been a continuing priority since the first General Synod in 1970.”
Prince Edward stood in for his absent mother at the Synod, which the monarch attends when it takes place once every five years, and Queen had never missed one in her 69-year reign, inews reported on Nov. 16.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is the most senior cleric in the Church of England, although the monarch is the supreme governor.
The Church of England is also the mother church of the international Anglican Communion.
Members of the Church of England’s legislative body gathered at Church House, Westminster, for their new five-year term on Nov. 16.
Synod members met for the first time in person since the start of the pandemic at the beginning of 2020.
The British Queen also mentioned her late husband, Prince Philip who died in April, and remarked on the passage of time.
“It is hard to believe that it is over 50 years since Prince Philip and I attended the very first meeting of the General Synod.
“None of us can slow the passage of time; and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged, including the Gospel of Christ and his teachings.”
