King Charles III Faces Backlash Over Ecumenical Prayer with Pope Leo XIV
In a historic and unprecedented event, King Charles III was recently embroiled in controversy after participating in an ecumenical service with Pope Leo XIV at the Sistine Chapel, marking a first for a British monarch since the English Reformation. This participation has sparked a wave of criticism from a significant Protestant organization in Northern Ireland, claiming the king violated his coronation oath.
The Grand Masters of the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal group established in 1795 in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, have reached out to the king privately. According to their flagship publication, The Orange Standard, they urged King Charles III to “reflect upon the solemn commitments of his Coronation oath and the promises he made before God.”
The Orange Order criticized the king’s involvement in the service, emphasizing the significance of the Protestant Reformed faith in England, a tradition that became entrenched after King Henry VIII’s separation from the Roman Catholic Church. The organization reminded the king of his 2023 oath to uphold the Protestant Reformed religion as established by law in the United Kingdom.
Highlighting the sacrifices made during the Reformation, the Orange Standard noted, “As Orangemen and women, [we] should not be discouraged or deflected from our solid foundations which are rooted in the truths of the Reformation. In October 1555, [Hugh] Latimer and [Nicholas] Ridley were burned at the stake for their beliefs.”
Adding to the opposition, a secretary from an Orange Lodge in Markethill, Northern Ireland, penned an open letter criticizing King Charles III for his perceived concessions to Roman Catholicism and Islam. The letter, shared by a local County Armagh outlet, expressed disapproval of the king’s actions, which were seen as a dilution of his oath to be the “Defender of the Protestant Faith.”
The lodge’s letter drew a stark comparison between King Charles III and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, pointing out a perceived spiritual decline in the United Kingdom. The letter stated: “Sadly, the United Kingdom, whose strong Protestant Faith witnessed by Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II], once a beacon to the world, has become a country the world no longer respects.”
The Orange Order, named after King William III, also known as William of Orange, holds a significant place in Northern Ireland’s Protestant history. The organization commemorates the triumph of William III’s Protestant forces over the Catholic army of King James II at the 1690 Battle of the Boyne.
With tens of thousands of members, the Orange Order remains dedicated to upholding Reformed Protestantism and maintaining Northern Ireland’s union with the United Kingdom. The recent events have reignited discussions on the balance between tradition and modernity within the United Kingdom’s religious landscape.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
