Queen Elizabeth II films her traditional Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace on Dec. 19, 2001 in London, England. / Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history and the head of the Church of England, on Thursday at the age of 96 is mourned by Catholic leaders worldwide. They called for prayer while remembering the Christian example set by the late queen.
“At this time, we pray for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty,” Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said in a statement. “We do so with confidence, because the Christian faith marked every day of her life and activity.”
Nichols then referenced her Christmas speech from the year 2000.
“To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance,” he quoted her as saying. “For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.”
Nichols expressed appreciation and respect for the queen’s service and referred to her faith as an inspiration.
“The wisdom, stability, and service which she consistently embodied, often in circumstances of extreme difficulty, are a shining legacy and testament to her faith,” he said.
He requested prayers for the queen and her son, Charles III, the next monarch.
Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham also praised the queen’s religious convictions.
“We also want to pay our respects to the Queen as a woman of faith, as a Christian, whose faith always inspired and shaped the way she lived,” he said in a statement. “We pray that Christ Jesus, whom she faithfully served throughout her whole life, may now welcome her into His Kingdom with these words: ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’”
Bishop Hugh Gilbert, president of the Catholic bishops’ conference in Scotland, where the queen passed away, promised that the bishops there “will remember her in our prayers and pray for all those who mourn her loss.”
“Her determination to remain active to the end of her long life has been an example of Christian leadership, which demonstrated her great stoicism and commitment to duty and was undoubtedly a source of stability and continuity in times of great change,” he said in a statement.
Additionally, he highlighted that they will pray for the future monarch and his family.
In a telegraph, Pope Francis, one of the five popes the queen saw throughout her lifetime, recalled her faith as the leader of the Catholic Church.
“I willingly join all who mourn 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,” he said.
Throughout the day, other bishops and church leaders from throughout the globe continued to pray for the queen.
In the United States, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco tweeted, “May she rest in peace.”
Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin in Ireland wrote, “May she now enjoy the eternal rest she richly deserves for her life of impeccable service.”