Queen extends strong backing to Church

London: The queen on Thursday delivered an impassioned defence of the established Church and stressed the continuing importance of religion in an increasingly secular society.

In a strongly-worded speech — one of the most outspoken of her 60-year reign — the monarch described the Church of England as "misunderstood" and "under-appreciated".

Her address to leaders of Britain's nine main religions at Lambeth Palace also highlighted the way religion offered "critical guidance" for the way in which people live their lives.

And she emphasised that while the Church, of which she is head, was "woven into the fabric of this country" it also had a "duty" to protect freedom of worship for other faiths in order to build "a better society".

Landmark ruling

The sovereign's public address is the first of her Diamond Jubilee year and was written by the queen herself, Buckingham Palace sources said. It is particularly timely given last week's landmark legal ruling banning the saying of prayers at council meetings.

Christians and politicians reacted with dismay after a judge overturned centuries of custom by stopping a council in Devon putting prayers on the formal agenda.

On the same day, two Christian guesthouse owners failed in an attempt to overturn a £3,600 (Dh20,755) fine imposed for refusing — because it was against their religious beliefs — to allow a gay couple to occupy a double room.

These and other developments, including recent cases of public sector workers being banned from displaying Christian symbols at work, have sparked a debate over whether the country is becoming too secularised and what effect this will have on society.

Tribute to other faiths

But the queen said: "This gathering is a reminder of how much we owe the nine major religious traditions represented here. We should remind ourselves of the significant position of the Church of England in our nation's life. The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated.

"Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country."

The queen also met leaders of the eight non-Christian religions recognised in the country — Baha'i, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism.

— Daily Mail