King Charles III broke away from the traditional, Christ-centered Christmas message that loyal listeners of the Crown’s Christmas broadcast would expect to hear. For seventy years, Queen Elizabeth brought class, Old English humor and leadership to her country during the holidays. This year, her successor chose to focus on alleged man-made climate change for his second Christmas broadcast.
The new king spoke of the need for service to our fellow man and, more broadly, to the entire planet, saying: “Service to others is just one way to honor all of creation, which is, after all, a manifestation of the divine. It is a belief shared by all religions to care for this creation; it is a responsibility that belongs to people of all faiths and none. We care for the earth for the sake of our children’s children.”
“In 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 we all share.”
In an attempt to use Christianity as a springboard for climate activism, the king made a connection between the Christmas story and climate change: ‘I now draw great inspiration from the way so many people recognize this. [climate change], just like the Christmas story, which tells us that angels first brought the message of hope to the shepherds. These were people who simply lived among the rest of God’s creatures. Those close to nature had a privilege that night. And at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, I pray that we can also do everything in our power to protect each other.”