Letter of condolence to His Majesty the King on behalf of General Synod and Archbishops’ Council

15/09/2022

The officers of the General Synod of the Church of England have written to King Charles III offering condolences on the death of Her Late Majesty the Queen.
A screenshot of the letter Synod sent to King Charles
A screenshot of the letter Synod sent to King Charles

 

Here is the full text:
 

13 September 2022

His Majesty The King
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA

 

Your Majesty

With our humble duty.

We write as the six officers of the General Synod of the Church of England, and on behalf of the Archbishops’ Council of which we are members.

The six officers, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Prolocutors of the Convocations of Canterbury and York, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the House of Laity, write to offer Your Majesty our deepest sympathy and condolences on the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, our Sovereign and Supreme Governor. 

We remember Her Majesty before God, with thanksgiving and admiration for the example of her life of service and witness. We pray fervently for Your Majesty and all members of the Royal Family in your grief and loss of a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Please know, Sir, that Your Majesty and all your family are remembered regularly in the prayers of all the churches of the Church of England.

Her Majesty the late Queen was gracious enough to honour the General Synod with her presence on no fewer than ten occasions, opening the new sessions of each successive Synod and each time inspiring members of Synod both with her evident Christian faith, and with her specific messages of encouragement. Only last year Her Majesty sent a kind message for its opening in November.

Her Majesty was an example to us, not just as a Christian whose life of service was so clearly inspired by the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ; but also as a witness who spoke openly of that faith and its importance to her. 

While grieving for her loss, we rejoice in her as a model of Christian discipleship, and we are encouraged by her confidence in life everlasting.

She will remain an inspiration to all of us, and to countless Christians in the Church of England and in many Christian churches.

We offer our continuing humble duty and service to Your Majesty. We pray for Your Majesty as you take up the responsibilities of Sovereign, and we pray that God will strengthen you for the task of service to which you have committed yourself. We trust that the faith in Christ which you too have so clearly and publicly acknowledged will by grace give you the strength you need.

We have the honour to remain, Sir, Your Majesty’s most loyal and obedient servants.

William Nye LVO
Secretary General, Archbishops’ Council and the General Synod

On behalf of the Officers of the General Synod and the Archbishops’ Council:

  • The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
  • The Venerable Luke Miller, Prolocutor of the Convocation of Canterbury
  • The Reverend Canon Kate Wharton, Prolocutor of the Convocation of York
  • Canon Dr James Harrison, Chair of the House of Laity of the General Synod
  • Mrs Alison Coulter, Vice Chair of the House of Laity of the General Synod
Archbishop Justin and HM The Queen at General Synod

Her Late Majesty the Queen opening Synod in November 2016