Queen Elizabeth II
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II was marked by her strong sense of duty and her determination to dedicate her life to her throne and to her people. She became for so many the one constant point in a rapidly changing world.
At this time, we pray for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty. We do so with confidence, because the Christian faith marked every day of her life and activity.
In her Millennium Christmas message, she said, ‘To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.’
We pray that she is now received into the merciful presence of God, there to be reunited with her beloved Prince Philip. This is the promise of our faith, and our deepest consolation.
Queen Elizabeth II will remain, always, a shining light in our history.
May she now rest in peace.
We pray for His Majesty King Charles III, as he assumes his new office even as he mourns his mother.
GOD SAVE THE KING
Our Deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy for the Royal Family
Pope Francis joins everyone who mourns the loss of Queen Elizabeth II.
‘In praying for the late Queen’s eternal rest, and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises.’
Pope Francis also commended ‘her noble soul’ to the mercy of God the Father.
THE QUEEN AND THE POPES
In her over 70 years of reign, besides meeting 15 British Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to, most recently, Liz Truss, Queen Elizabeth II personally met 4 popes — of the 5 pontificates in her lifetime. The monarch first visited the Vatican in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth. The Pope at the time was Pius XII. Queen Elizabeth's first visit as Queen took place on 5 May 1961. She and Prince Philip were received in audience by Pope John XXIII.
In 1980, Queen Elizabeth II made a state visit to the Vatican and was received in audience by Pope John Paul II. Just two years later, the Polish Pope made a pastoral visit to Great Britain. With the dawn of the new millennium, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the Vatican once again, in October 2000.
In September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited Great Britain on an Apostolic Journey on the occasion of the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman and met the Queen in Edinburgh.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in May 2021, met with Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2014. The meeting marked the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See.
Marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee, Pope Francis sent a message to the Queen on 2 June 2022:
‘On this joyful occasion of your Majesty’s birthday, and as you celebrate this Platinum Jubilee year, I send cordial greetings and good wishes, together with the renewed assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will bestow upon you, the members of the Royal Family and all the people of the nation blessings of unity, prosperity and peace.’
KING CHARLES III
Pope Francis sends a message to King Charles III - ‘I assure Your Majesty of my prayers that Almighty God will sustain you with his unfailing grace as you now take up your high responsibilities as King. Upon you and all who cherish the memory of your late mother, I invoke an abundance of divine blessings as a pledge of comfort and strength in the Lord.’