HONG KONG (SE): Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history died peacefully at the age of 96 on September 8, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after her health took a turn for the worse. She was surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Vincent Cardinal Nichols of Westminster, England, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, offered prayers for and paid tribute to the late monarch.
“On 21 April 1947, on her twenty-first birthday, Princess Elizabeth said, ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.’ Now, seventy-five years later, we are heartbroken in our loss at her death, and so full of admiration for the unfailing way in which she fulfilled that declaration,” Cardinal Nichols said in a statement.
“Even in my sorrow, shared with so many around the world, I am filled with an immense sense of gratitude for the gift to the world that has been the life of Queen Elizabeth II.”
A queen she was the titular head of the Church of England [Anglican] and was known for her deep personal faith.
Vatican News reported that Pope Francis, in a telegramme to her son and successor, King Charles III, said, “[I am] Deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I offer heartfelt condolences to Your Majesty, the Members of the Royal Family, the People of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
The pope said he joins everyone who mourns her loss “in praying for the late queen’s eternal rest, and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises.”
Pope Francis also commended “her noble soul” to the mercy of God the Father.
He also assured the new king “of my prayers that Almighty God will sustain you with his unfailing grace as you now take up your high responsibilities as King. Upon you and all who cherish the memory of your late mother, I invoke an abundance of divine blessings as a pledge of comfort and strength in the Lord.”
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born on 21 April 1926, was the elder daughter of Prince Albert [later King George VI], Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
She used her Christmas Day messages to call for interfaith harmony. Her Christmas radio messages were sometimes deeply personal and revealed a life of prayer and faith.
“I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad,” she said in 2002. “Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God. … I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.”
