There has been a minor storm in a teacup this Easter. King Charles III hasn’t issued an Easter message this year, even though he sent warm greetings to Muslims at the start of Ramadan. The charge, implied or explicit, is that we have a ‘Christian’ king who seems more eager to acknowledge other faiths than his own.
The optics are awkward. The monarch did indeed publicly wish Muslims a “blessed and peaceful Ramadan,” and even marked Eid with a message of goodwill. Meanwhile, an Easter communiqué was conspicuous by its absence. In a nation with an established church, that has raised some eyebrows. But before we reach for the smelling salts, a question must be asked: Does it really matter?
Some Christians appear to have invested more spiritual significance in a Buckingham Palace press release than it can possibly bear. What, after all, is an “Easter message” from the Crown? In recent years it has tended toward the anodyne: carefully balanced, interfaith-conscious reflections on “love,” “hope,” and “shared values.” Perfectly pleasant. Entirely harmless. And, if we are honest, often theologically thin.
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