Following the announcement of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis. Cardinal Vincent Nicholls sent congratulations on behalf of all Catholics in England and Wales and pledged his “unwavering prayers for the full and speedy recovery” of the British monarch.
The Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales also wrote on Platform X on Monday that he was saddened by the news from Buckingham Palace, with the caption “God Bless the King”.
It was reported hours earlier that the 75-year-old king had been diagnosed with a “separate problem” – an unspecified cancer – during treatment for an enlarged prostate. Charles III said in a statement on Monday that he was “absolutely positive” about the treatment he had already started. However, in order to protect himself, he will shirk some of his duties.
“Her Majesty has decided to share her diagnosis in order to avoid speculation and in the hope that it will contribute to public understanding of all cancer sufferers around the world,” the statement concluded. It is not specified what type of cancer it is and at what stage.
King Charles ascended the throne in 2022 after the death of his mother Elizabeth II and was crowned as her successor in May 2023. He was the Supreme Governor of the Church of England which broke away from the Catholic Church in 1534 under the English King Henry VIII. At his coronation, Charles took an oath to uphold the Protestant faith. Cardinal Nicholls was the first Catholic priest to attend and bless a coronation after the Reformation.
(Get – CS)
