King Charles III broke away from the traditional Christ-centered Christmas message that loyal listeners of the crown’s holiday broadcast would expect to hear. For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth brought class, old-English humor, and leadership to her nation during the holidays. This year, her successor chose to focus on alleged man-made climate change for his second Christmas broadcast.
The newly king spoke of the need for service to our fellow man and, in a larger sense, the entire planet, saying, “Service to others is but one way of honoring the whole of creation, which, after all, is a manifestation of the Divine. It is a belief shared by all religions to care for this creation; it is a responsibility owned by people of all faiths and of none. We care for the earth for the sake of our children’s children.”
“During my lifetime,” said the English monarch, “I have been so pleased to see a growing awareness of how we must protect the earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share.”
Attempting to use Christianity as a springboard for climate activism, the king made a correlation between the Christmas story and climate change: “I find great inspiration now from the way so many people recognize this [climate change], as does the Christmas story, which tells us that angels brought the message of hope first to shepherds. These were people who lived simply amongst others of God’s creatures. Those close to nature were privileged that night. And, at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, I pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other.”
