Catholic Union Director, Nigel Parker, writes:
Recent event have generated multiple emotions and reflections for us all.
There has been the shock and sadness at what King Charles described this morning as “the irreparable loss we have all suffered”. At the same time, there has been a profound sense of thanksgiving for the life and the faithful service that The Queen has given us, and a surge of popular support for our new King.
As we enter a period of national mourning, it strikes me that although this is a moment for sorrow and reflection, it is also a moment to be cherished and savoured because somehow in this period certain truths become visible, spoken and almost tangible.
I am thinking of all the personal accounts of The Queen’s kindness, compassion, sense of duty and faithfulness, which is a real celebration of public virtue. Numerous MPs in their tributes in Parliament emphasised The Queen’s Christian faith and seem to have felt liberated for once to express openly their own faith in God and Jesus Christ.
It is as if a truce has been declared from the normal adversarial politics and a vision of the Common Good can be glimpsed, almost within reach.
All too soon, this truce will be over but I hope that some remnant of this universal recognition of The Queen’s virtues will survive and inspire our politics for some time to come.