ON May 6 2023 the coronation of Charles III, the new king of England will be televised globally in a vulgar and extravagant confusion of medieval English pageantry, military jingoism and religious ritual.

The organizers of this bizarre spectacle will be dressed like actors in a Shakespearian play. Many will be decked in military uniforms and heavily armed, and the clergy will be turned out in their robes, gowns and vestments. And the whole ritual will be delivered in a sickening, humiliating and dehumanizing orgy of bowing, curtseying and groveling. 

Some of us are old enough to remember the last coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth on February 6 1952, but too young then to understand the endorsement of inequality, imperialism, exploitation and religious intolerance that is inherent in this grotesque throwback to the dark ages of English Feudalism.

And unless it will be significantly changed, the coronation of King Charles in May will be no different than on previous coronations either in its obscenity, its celebration of sectarianism or in the official endorsement of hereditary privilege that it represents.

It will also be attended and have the active participation of senior Christian clergy of different denominations. The new king will be draped in ermine robes and seated on a throne. And at the climax of this public ritual a senior cleric will approach him slowly and deliberately and place a crown upon his head.

The emplacement of this crown will officially inaugurate the new king as the unelected and heredity Head of State of Britain and the Commonwealth. And this ceremony will also officially inaugurate him as the Head of a Christian church, namely the Church of England... the same Church that was founded upon the genitals of Henry the Eighth.

The crown itself will be embellished with priceless jewellery that was stolen during British military adventures throughout India and Africa at the heyday of their Empire. 

In 2012, the late Queen Elizabeth celebrated the Diamond jubilee of her own coronation and the event was paid for from the public purse. At the time I was appalled that the most senior Catholic bishop in the North of Ireland attended this event. And through local newspapers I challenged him to explain why he thought it appropriate to attend, and especially with such enthusiasm, and especially since Ireland has suffered so much at the hands and deliberations of English monarchs. 

The reason for my disquiet was because I, myself was baptized as a Catholic in infanthood. As I grew older in my childhood I received first communion and was confirmed in that same church. And during all of that I was commanded to adhere to principles of behaviour that forbade theft, murder, violence and disrespect for other humans. I was told that these principles were sacrosanct, unquestionable and were enshrined in commandments that demanded and deserved our unwavering adherence and respect.

And in those days this strict code of discipline was delivered to children on the end of a cane. But alas, despite citing this contradiction as the reason for my disquiet, my challenge and demand for an explanation from the bishop was ignored. 

Notwithstanding the fact that I have long since stopped attending church, I still feel that the attendance of Catholic clergy at the coronation on the 6th of May will be the most disturbing aspect of this entire event if it happens, given the contradictions that I have cited. 

It would therefore be most appropriate if a spokesperson for the local Catholic Church would publicly state whether or not Catholic clergy will attend, and if so their reasons for attending an event that James Connolly once referred to as… "The Feast of Flunkeyism."

Jack Duffin, Belfast 

Do you have something to say on this issue? If so, submit a letter for publication to Conor McParland at c.mcparland@belfastmedia.com or write to Editor Anthony Neeson at Andersonstown News/North Belfast News, Teach Basil, 2 Hannahstown Hill, Belfast BT17 0LT