May 6th is normally a happy occasion for me, it's my birthday! Now my birthday is shared with the day Charles was crowned King. All the flags and bunting ‘round the north of Ireland that day were not for my birthday, as I told my children. They, of course, were put up by the loyalist community here celebrating the coronation.
As a Catholic from the north of Ireland, it is not surprising I don't celebrate this coronation or feel any allegiance to the crown. That is no surprise at all, but what may be a surprise is that it is not out of hate for a monarchical system. I believe it is the best system, a biblical form of government that is perfectly aligned with our Catholic faith. When the monarchs of Europe were crowned in the past, the Pope first gave approval of their coronation. They had a duty to the faith, and they were custodians of the faith, who were entrusted with ensuring their countrymen were faithful to the Church established by Christ. When crowned, they made oaths to do this. Jesus gave authority to the Pope, and each Pope gave authority to the monarchs.
However, when an oath is broken, their word is no longer valid, and therefore we no longer have to, nor should we pledge allegiance to the oath breaker. We are no longer required to give our promise of fidelity to them. On Facebook and Twitter, there have been many disagreements about whether or not a Catholic belonging to the UK should give allegiance to the crown. Many people have recalled how they stole our churches, they hunted our priests, and they outlawed the mass. We were not allowed to own land or vote. In response, people have said that was hundreds of years ago and things have changed. In the north of Ireland, six counties still remain under the control of the British government, and it was not that long ago that Catholics could not vote, get jobs, or even get satisfactory housing. It was not that long ago that people could get arrested and tortured for the only crime of being Catholic. It was not that long ago that the British establishment murdered innocent Catholics and tried to cover it up. It was only 50 years ago, not 500.
Today, of course, Catholics here are treated equally. However, underneath all the pageantry and ceremony of the coronation is still anti-Catholic sentiment. They broke their oath, and they fell away from the faith. No Catholic should pledge allegiance to a traitorous crown that fought against the faith.
Much of what the British monarchy has done has led to the increasing popularity of the leftist, socialist, and Marxist ideology in Ireland. Catholics here now have gone the polar opposite of a monarchical system. They seem to think leftist ideology is the way forward. What is really needed is for a Catholic monarchy to be re-established. We need the Pope to take up his crown again, also. In the meantime, we must pray for the leaders of our monarchy and pray for Catholic leaders who will be true to the faith. Tiocfaidh ár lá - Our Day Shall Come Truth & Tradition