In a few hours time, King Charles III will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. This is a joyous day for Catholics for many reasons. The United Kingdom is the only country in Europe whose monarchs still have a coronation and it will be a beautiful spectacle which few of us have witnessed before. The Authorised Liturgy maintains the essential character of the Coronation as an Anglican religious service with its roots in the anointing of kings in the Old Testament, updated to provide a role for a number of other Christian faith leaders (including Cardinal Vincent Nichols) who will offer a Blessing. In fact, this Coronation will be the first to feature official Catholic representation since the coronation of Mary I in 1553. Unlike in 1953, when Catholics were restricted from attending Protestant services and the representative of Pius XII had to follow the ceremony from a stand outside Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Parolin, and the Apostolic Nuncio, will be representing Pope Francis in the Abbey this morning. Even the contentious title of “Defender of the Faith” has a different resonance given the King’s support for persecuted Christians around the world. I hope that Catholics will enjoy the liturgy, the ceremonial and the music (which includes pieces by a number of Catholic composers) and I doubt that there will be many dry eyes as, for the first time in 70 years, we hear the choir sing Zadok the Priest in the context for which it was written.
