Sunday 11 September 2022 04:10 PM Archbishop of Canterbury praises King Charles III's ability to bring 'healing' ... trends now
The Archbishop of Canterbury has praised King Charles III in a sermon today, saying he has the same ability to bring 'healing' to people as his late mother did.
At this morning's Sunday service at Canterbury Cathedral, Rev Justin Welby said many people will be 'navigating their way around the raw and ragged edges of grief' following the Queen's death on Thursday.
The Archbishop said it was an 'unexpectedly extraordinary Sunday' as he began the service, which started about an hour after the Queen's coffin left Balmoral to begin its journey to her final resting place.
He said: 'King Charles III has the same ability to see the value of each person as God sees them. That is his conscious understanding of people.'
During his sermon, the Archbishop said those who met the Queen were 'always struck by her ability to make them feel as though they were the most important, the only person in the room, the only person in the street, in the crowd'.
King Charles III waves to the public after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace on Friday
The Archbishop of Canterbury praised King Charles III in a sermon this morning, saying he has the same ability to bring 'healing' as his mother
Mr Welby recalled seeing Charles work his way around the Lady Chapel in Liverpool Cathedral, where there were families of police officers who had died.
He said Charles spoke to an officer's young widow, adding: 'By the time the then-prince of Wales – His Majesty – had done the rounds, he'd talked to everyone in that chapel and every person there, and I quote that young widow, felt they mattered uniquely and found healing.'
The Archbishop recalled the Queen inviting a Rwandan woman, who had escaped the genocide but lost almost her entire family, to sit next to her at the end of a lunch.
They spoke for at least 20 minutes while some of her staff 'hovered, twitching'.
Reflecting on how the woman felt, Mr Welby told worshippers: 'When I spoke to her later, she said there was healing.'
He added: 'Both Her late Majesty and His Majesty treat others as special because, for both, their faith is built on the same rock – the rock of Christ.'
Mr Welby talked about grief and how this may be a difficult time for
