Archbishop Carey-"We leave her in the arms of Almighty God"
Anglican Church leaders from around the Communion have expressed shock and sadness over the news of the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Prayers were offered for the repose of her soul in parishes around the world and thanksgiving offered for her life and work in Britain and around the world. Of utmost concern to Church leaders was the welfare of her surviving sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Ven Martin Draper, Vicar of St Georges Anglican Church, Paris, rushed to the hospital in Paris to pray the traditional Prayer Book Commendation for the dying. He was present with Prince Charles as the body of Diana was taken to the airport for the journey back to England. One of the Royal Chaplains was present at Northolt as the body of Diana arrived back in England. The body will be placed in the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London.
In a television interview the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, said Diana "clearly lived out a Christian understanding of compassion". Speaking from his local church, an emotion filled Prime Minister Tony Blair, called Diana "the people's princess".
Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey spoke to the nation from Manchester Cathedral, where he lit a candle and read the 23rd Psalm. At the time of the Archbishop's enthronemnet, Diana was the member of the Royal Family to attend the service. The Archbishop said, "I was shattered to hear that this vibrant person had lost her life. It is a terrible tragedy for everybody.
"She seized the imagination of young and old alike. This beautiful woman was also a very vulnerable human being and out of that vulnerability and weakness, if you like, came lots of strength her passion and her commitment to people.
"I think there's a sense in which we are all grieving, because she expressed something that we all valued and loved. I knew her as someone who loved life. She was deeply committed to people, to issues, to causes. I found her a very interesting person who was very committed to people. We are reminded that death is only inches away from each one of us. Perhaps it will help us all to focus on the really important things in life, human love and relationships, and faith in God.
"She had faith in God although she wasn't the kind of person who wore religion on her sleeves. There was a deep faith there.
"The word passion seems to sum her up. There was a commitment, to issues, to causes.
"She was a deeply religious person in the sense that she cared about people.... There was faith in her whole personality. Certainly she believed in God and certainly she believed in the power of love.
"As a Christian, I want to say, we leave her in the arms of Almighty God."
The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev David Hope said, "I am totally numbed by the news. When I was Bishop of London I met her at many charity functions and what struck me always was her enormous vitality and vibrancy and straight- forwardness. She had a compassionate heart for those who experienced tragedy in their own lives.
"There seems to me to have been a real growth and maturity in Diana, particularly in the way she acted as mother to the two sons who are in everybody's thoughts at this time.
"There is deep sadness at the tragic ending of a life but now she is received into God's gracious keeping together with the others killed."
Lord Runcie, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, who conducted the royal wedding said, "Diana had a great sense of eagerness to be up to the challenge of being Princess of Wales. She had a real, tender desire to be what everybody expected her to be. I treasure some of the heartfelt and sincere letters she wrote at that time. She was very tender. She needed assistance."
The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres said, I am distressed and stunned by the news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Having confirmed Prince William recently, her children will be particularly in my prayers as well as Prince Charles, her family and the relatives of all those involved in this tragic accident."
At the Anglican Communion Office in London, Canon John L. Peterson made the following statement: "We remember before God, Diana, Princess of Wales, , who died in Paris this morning following a car crash. This sudden and tragic death of this lively and caring person, loved by so many, saddens us all immensely.
"Diana's ministry of compassion and care will be her legacy, and we are indeed grateful to have had her as part of our Anglican family. Already tributes are being received from Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay people of our church around the globe.
I know I speak for millions of Anglican Christians around the world today as we express our deep sorrow and pray especially for her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, in this great loss of their mother. May she rest in peace and rise in glory."
From Worcester, Bishop Peter Selby, said, "It is not often that we as a society can see in a person a vision of care for others and compassion in action. For now we pray for her and those who died with her: God grant them rest and peace."
The Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, said from Southern Africa, "Princess Diana was a person who cared for the vulnerable and marginalised in a world in which a lot of such people often goes uncared for. We knew her as someone who would be with the sick and the dying in their time of need. She endeared herself to millions in the region covered by the Anglican Church in Southern Africa because of her work in two areas that directly affect us most - amongst the victims of AIDS and those who continue to suffer the dreadful consequences of landmines that were laid in recent wars. Her witness will be missed."
The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Robin Eames said, "The shock and disbelief which has been expressed from all parts of the world testifies in some way to the uniqueness the Princess of Wales brought to so many lives. It is a human tragedy that a young life of beauty and willingness to reach out to those in real need has been so abruptly brought to an end. Our hearts and prayers reach out to the Princes William and Harry, themselves on the threshold of their lives, to Prince Charles and to her loved ones at this time of such sorrow. Something of the human touch has disappeared from our national life."
The Bishop of Aotearoa, The Rt Revd Whakahuihui Vercoe, has extended the condolences of Anglicans in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to the friends and family of the Princess of Wales, and asks for `God's healing grace' on her children at this traumatic time.
On behalf of the Senior Bishops, Bishops and people of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia, Bishop Vercoe said, "It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the tragic death of the Princess of Wales. All our people, Maori, Pakeha and Polynesian, extend our sincere condolences to her friends and family. ur thoughts and prayers are with them all, and especially to Her Majesty, the Queen, and the whole of the Royal Family.May God's healing grace and patience be with her two sons in this traumatic moment in their lives."
St Pauls Cathedral, London, held a special service on Sunday evening, broadcast by BBC-TV. Thousands filled the cathedral to, as Dean John Moses said, "hold her in our prayers". The Dean spoke of "sharing the grief" and the "deep distress" of Diana's tragic death. He said, "we give thanks for her life, work and vitality and her concern for those on the margins of life". The service began with the choir singing the text from Wisdom, "the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God". The congregation sang the hymns "Love Divine" and "The Lord's My Shepherd" with many in tears. The choir also sang Psalm 130 and a portion of the Requiem by Faure. In the prayers the Precentor thanked God for "all that she came to be". The Dean mentioned the Royal Wedding that had taken place at St Pauls. He spoke of Diana's life as "the story unfolds with its dimensions of tragedy and terrible conclusion".
At Westminster Abbey, the music of the regular Evensong service was changed to mark the solemnity of the day. The Revd Jonathan Goodall offered prayers for all who died in the crash and for Diana's family. The Revd John Gaskell obviously put aside his prepared sermon to ask the congregation to be "silent" and pray. He spoke of resurrection faith and promise in the midst of such shock and tragedy.
In Balmoral, the Royal Family, including Prince William and Prince Harry, attended Church of Scotland Presbyterian services on Sunday, as is their custom when in Scotland. No mention of Diana's death was made in the "normal Sunday worship". However in Oban, Scotland, Diana's mother Mrs Shand Kydd, a devout Roman Catholic, asked for Masses to be said for her daughter in St Columba's Cathedral and this was done by Father Sean MacAuley. Mother Teresa, speaking from Calcutta said of her friend Diana, "She was very concerned about the poor and her attitude towards the poor was good."
At Buckingham Palace hundreds of floral tributes were placed at the main gate, with people in tears, while others seemed to be in stunned silence. Prayers, poems, and photos were affixed to the flowers.