Stressing that a close knit extended family was at 'the core of a thriving community', Britain's Queen Elizabeth II used the Christmas message to urge people to take responsibility.
LONDON: Stressing that a close knit extended family was at 'the core of a thriving community', Britain's Queen Elizabeth II used her 50th televised Christmas message on Tuesday to urge people to take responsibility for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals marginalised by modern society.
In her annual message to Britain and the Commonwealth, the 81-year-old sovereign said "in my experience, the positive value of a happy family is one of the factors of human existence that has not changed."
She said "the immediate family of grandparents, parents and children, together with their extended family, is still the core of a thriving community."
The Queen also paid tribute to the armed forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and hoped that people missing their loved ones would find strength and comfort in their family and friends.
She ended her message by quoting from a traditional Christmas carol service. "Because this would most rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and the helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed, the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and the unloved," she said.
"Wherever these words find you, and in whatever circumstances, I want to wish you all a blessed Christmas."
The Queen said the modern world could be a distant, hostile place where it was all too easy for people to turn a blind eye.
The birth of Jesus Christ was a tale of a family 'which had been shut out', the Queen said.
"The Christmas story also draws attention to all those people who are on the edge of society - people who feel cut off and disadvantaged; people who, for one reason or another, are not able to enjoy the full benefits of living in a civilized and law-abiding community," she said.
"For these people the modern world can seem a distant and hostile place. It is all too easy to turn a blind eye, to pass by on the other side and leave it to experts and professionals.
"All the great religious teachings of the world press home the message that everyone has a responsibility to care for the vulnerable."
"Fortunately, there are many groups and individuals, often unsung and unrewarded, who are dedicated to ensuring that the 'outsiders' are given a chance to be recognized and respected.
"However, each one of us can also help by offering a little time, a talent or a possession, and taking a share in the responsibility for the well-being of those who feel excluded."
The broadcast Christmas speech is a tradition started by Queen Elizabeth II's grandfather king George V in 1932.
In her speech, the Queen reflected on the changes she has witnessed in the 50 years since making her first televised Christmas message in 1957.
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