Address to the Throne

Tuesday 8th July

The Revd John Waller
Last year's Moderator

To the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty

The General Assembly of the United Reformed Church now meeting in Portsmouth sends loyal greetings to Your Majesty. In this anniversary year of Your Majesty’s coronation we give gratitude to Almighty God for all the service you have rendered to our nation during the fifty-one years of Your Majesty’s reign.

The recent conflict in Iraq continues to cast its long shadow over our proceedings. With other churches and faith groupings in these islands we voiced our grave concern at the wisdom and morality of the military assault on Iraq. We were – and remain – unconvinced that Iraq posed such a threat to world security as to justify military action against it, and urged Your Majesty’s Government to consider war only as a last resort and after all diplomatic efforts to secure a peaceful settlement to the crisis had foundered. We viewed it as a matter of regret both that the weapons inspectors were not allowed to complete their investigations and that the United Nations gave no approval for the use of military force. While we had no desire to see the former regime in Iraq remain in power, we could not condone the use of military action to remove it.

Though there are few grounds for hope amid this crisis we do welcome warmly the publication of the ‘road map’ drawn up to reactivate the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. As a Church we have long been concerned about the plight of people living in the Palestinian Territories, and continue to support practically efforts by Christian Aid and others to improve their quality of life. We have urged Your Majesty’s Government to be energetic and resourceful in following through on this key development so as to achieve a just and lasting peace that will give security to both peoples and greater stability to the region.

As we reflected on the war in Iraq we felt led to suggest that, where conflict and tension abound, lasting peace and stability are more likely to emanate from a dismantling of structures which perpetuate injustice or division than from violence and aggression. We are unconvinced that a ‘war on terrorism’ can succeed without a concomitant war on injustice, and so, through our overseas aid and development programme, Commitment for Life, continue to support vital work in several ‘third world’ countries. One of these is Zimbabwe, sadly still one of the most troubled regions of the Commonwealth. Our commitment to justice also inspires us to campaign for significant changes in the rules governing multilateral trade, for full remission of the debts which continue to weigh down many of the world’s poorest countries, and for the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals with their vision of a world free from the worst excesses of poverty by the year 2015. At this Assembly the Church unanimously passed a resolution pledging support for these targets.

Our concern to bring the ‘good news to the poor’ which Jesus announced also informs our work closer to home. Our churches in inner city areas continue to work with others to foster genuine harmony between people of all religions and races, and we pray that every effort to bring peace and build community in our cities will succeed. Our belief that all people are of equal worth and dignity in the sight of God leads us to stand in prayerful solidarity with those from different ethnic communities, including those seeking asylum, who so often find themselves among the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.

We pray for the continued health and strength of Your Majesty as you give leadership and service to the United Kingdom and to the Commonwealth.

We have the honour to remain Your Majesty’s faithful and loyal subjects.

Revd Alasdair Pratt

Moderator

Revd Dr David Cornick

General Secretary

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Address to the Throne