In a break with tradition, the coronation of Britain's Prince Charles would be a multi-faith affair, a media report said on Sunday.
LONDON: In a break with tradition, the coronation of Britain's Prince Charles would be a multi-faith affair, a media report said on Sunday.
Prayers and readings from denominations and religions besides Christianity are expected to be included in the ceremonies marking Charles's accession to the throne, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
Canon John Hall, the Dean-elect of Westminster Abbey, said the traditional Church of England coronation service must be revised to reflect society's changes since the Queen's coronation in 1953. As dean, he will be on the committee responsible for drawing up the service.
"The coronation service needs to find the right way of including people of other faiths," Canon Hall told the newspaper.
"It must be different in some ways because of the nature of society and how things have changed," he said.
He said the Church must be prepared to let other faiths play a role in the service.
The proposed changes follow comments already made by Prince Charles, who has said he wants to be "Defender of Faith" and not "Defender of the Faith" when he ascends the throne.
Although the 80-year-old Queen remains in good health, preliminary discussions have already begun between the Duke and Clarence House over possible alterations to the service.
The Prince expressed his wish to be more inclusive in 1994, saying: "I believe that the Catholic subjects of the sovereign are as important (as Protestants), not to mention the Islamic, Hindu and Zoroastrian."
The crowning of the sovereign has taken place for almost 1,000 years at Westminster Abbey.
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