Your Majesty, may I say how honoured and delighted we are that in the midst of your multifarious duties and responsibilities you have made the time to be with us for the inauguration of this sixth General Synod of the Church of England. Your presence with us on this occasion, as well as what you have set before us, is both an immense encouragement and also a considerable challenge. Let me add how much pleasure it gives us to welcome also on this occasion His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.
Your Majesty has drawn our attention both to the past and to the future, and the fact that the Church in this as in every generation is called to face large, complex and important questions, where divergent views are strongly and passionately held; this is sometimes interpreted as weakness, and a threat to the life and well being of the Church as a whole. Such a reaction is surely unrealistic. Life is not like that; nor is the life of the Church; nor has it ever been, from earliest times. Yet the fact that views are held with such fervour and debated with such passion, must surely be a sign of the real commitment and priority which Christian people, whatever their views, attach to their faith and the search for truth and right belief and behaviour.
It is further this very tenacity of commitment to our being and remaining one in Christ and with each other, which enables us to live with difference, uneasy and painful though this is for us all. The fact that we can and do so remain together, must surely be a significant and hopeful sign in a world where differences of view are all too often allowed to descend into mistrust and hostility. For how can we with integrity set before the world the Gospel of Reconciliation if we are not ourselves constantly striving to exemplify what Your Majesty has reminded us are the very truths which lie at the heart of the Christian faith.
At a time when we can so easily become preoccupied with our own domestic concerns as a Church both Your Majesty's presence and words direct us out and beyond ourselves. Your Majesty has already echoed some words attributed to one of my distinguished predecessors in the See of York, Archbishop William Temple, to the effect that the Church is the only society which exists not for itself but for the sake of those outside it. It is vital that the church of England retains not only this vision but also the actuality of service and availability to all and for all; this also surely in the context of our ecumenical endeavours and our relationships with those of other faiths and none - the fulfilment of the command that just as we are to love the Lord our God so we are charged with love of one another and of our neighbour.
There are too the wider issues and concerns of the world in which we live and where Your Majesty's distinctive and particular role in the Nation and Commonwealth alerts us to the Church's continuing responsibility towards God's world; for many of our problems and perplexities as well as opportunities and possibilities we have in common with the whole human family.
We rejoice in your presence and take fresh courage for the future from what you have set before us, and in this so many of us draw inspiration from Your Majesty's personal example of dedication to duty and service, and from your own witness to Christian values and standards. Your unique position in the Church reminds us of our responsibility to work together for the glory of God and the good of all his people.
As Your Majesty has invoked God's blessing upon this Synod and its work, so we pray his richest and abundant blessings upon yourself and your family as again we express our gratitude and our thanks for your gracious presence with us and among us this day.