A Sacral Monarchy Still—And Thus An (Unwitting) Instrument of Evangelization?

The erudite and somewhat traditionally Roman Catholic historian Richard Rex has argued that Henry VIII’s moment of ‘reformation breakthrough’ occurred when he grasped that he was, by the will of God, ‘Supreme Head’ of the Church of England. Many were executed during the last decade of his reign for refusing this newly minted royal title. The boy King Edward VI retained this style, which was dropped like a hot potato by his successor and half-sister ‘Bloody’ Mary, who returned as promptly as possible to the Roman obedience. When the crown passed to the third of the royal half-siblings, long remembered as ‘Good Queen Bess’, objections were raised that a woman might not fitly be regarded as the Church’s Supreme ‘Head’. Ever the shrewd pragmatist, Elizabeth I kept the power but shed some of the verbal overkill by assuming the title ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of England’, a style retained by all her successors, who have also officially used the title ‘Defender of the Faith’, a distinction Leo X granted to Henry VIII for his personal use, but not as an ongoing appurtenance of the dynasty.

Since the Lutheran princes of Germany assumed the style and role of ‘supreme bishops’ of the Churches of their realms, we can hardly throw stones at the ‘Supreme Governor’ role of the British monarchs. Until the disestablishment of the Church of Sweden, the King was ‘Senior Member’ of the Church of Sweden, a title associated with the Treatise’s recognition of rulers as praecipua membra of their Churches. That said, there never has been any justification for Christian monarchs being recognized as ‘supreme governors’ or ‘supreme bishops’ of the Churches of their territories. Yet even apart from the questionable title Charles III has now assumed, there is no gainsaying the fact that the British monarchy remains a sacral monarchy, the sovereign invariably receiving anointing by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a rite also performed on the consort, if that person is a woman.

A striking feature of the mourning ceremonies now being carried out in a prolonged fashion in the United Kingdom is their overtly Christian, even outright liturgical character. The body of the departed monarch lay in state in the High Kirk of St Giles in Edinburgh, the Scottish crown on the coffin being surmounted by a cross, the sacred space used for a Presbyterian service of thanksgiving. When Charles and Camilla flew from Edinburgh to Belfast, they attended a service at the Anglican Cathedral of St Anne, a ceremony at which the Bishop’s sermon stood out for its culturally jarring Christian content; it even ended with quotation from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. A hymn sung to the tune of ‘O Danny Boy’ struck an expatriate Englishman as out of place, though it may not have had this effect on the Irish.

Once set on a catafalque in Westminster Hall, the Queen’s mortal remains have been at the center of  Christian, liturgical ceremony, beginning with a short service led by the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury. The overtly Christian character of the royal regalia upon and the ornaments around Her late Majesty’s coffin are not to be missed. And all this is before the funeral service gets under way in Westminster Abbey next Monday.

Back in the 1990s, when still Prince of Wales, the new King speculated that he might become ‘defender of faith’ in general rather than ‘Defender of the Faith’ in its historic Anglican form. But in his first address to the nation Charles III professed his Anglican allegiance, signaling that he will follow in his beloved mother’s footsteps in this regard also.

Some public figures have in recent days written articles much worth reading, highlighting the deeply Christian quality of the ceremonies taking place to mourn our late Sovereign Lady, pieces which I recommend to our Gottesdienst community.

The English traditional Roman Catholic scholar Dr Joseph Shaw reflected already before the death of Elizabeth II on her refusal to abdicate in favour of her son. Shaw points out that mothers and fathers, including Queens regnant as mother of their people, do not retire from their roles:

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/essay/the-unlikely-survival-of-sacred-office/

 Fr Raymond de Souza, an Ontario priest who preached at the funeral of Richard John Neuhaus and who is religion correspondent for Canada’s ever so mildly ‘conservative’ National Post, offers both instruction and rebuke as he delves into the liturgical dimension of what is going on in these days. The National Post sits behind a paywall, but surfers are granted several free articles per month:

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/raymond-j-de-souza-our-queen-has-died-show-some-respect

 Last but not least, my old friend Rowan, now Baron Williams of Oystermouth, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, displays his gifts to the full as he presents us with apples of gold in a setting of silver:

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2022/09/queen-elizabeth-servant-of-god

 An email correspondent of my kin just expressed the pious hope,’ Perhaps children witnessing these ceremonies now will turn their attention to God's Word and He will grant Britain a small revival.’

 Yea, God grant this, for Jesus’ sake, and let it be a big one. Amen.