Allegiance to the Crown

Recently, on a Catholic forum I participate in, I was asked:

So Jovan, you being a Catholic please explain your undivided support for the English monarchy?

My answer:

First of all, while I 'support' the 'English' Monarchy (as I've pointed out, no such office has existed since 1707), the question here is why I support the Canadian Monarchy and have twice sworn allegiance to Her Majesty as Queen of Canada, first as a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and then in the statutory form according to the Oaths of Allegiance Act before a Commissioner of Oaths. And, BTW, I may soon be taking out British citizenship, in which case I will swear allegiance to her as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Because, since 1 January 1766, with the death of James VIII and III, the Church, acting thru' the Holy See, has recognised the Houses of Hanover, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Windsor, leading up to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as the only legitimate Sovereigns of Great Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and by extension as the only legitimate Sovereigns of the Commonwealth Realms, including Canada.

Concerning the Church’s position, the last Catholic King (de facto) was James VII&II. When he was overthrown by the Dutch usurper, William, the Church continued to recognise James as King de jure and, indeed, recognised his son as James VIII&III as King de jure, as I would have, being an obedient Catholic. However, when the ‘Old Pretender’, id est James VIII & III, died on 1 January 1766, the Holy See refused to recognise his son, Charles Edward, the ‘Young Pretender’, a/k/a ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, as King, thus de facto and de jure recognising George III as King. This was despite the fact Charles Edward’s brother Henry, who was an influential Cardinal in the Roman Curia, petitioned the Holy Father to recognise Charles as King. I’ve included links to the relevant documents in this matter so that you can read for yourself the Church’s response:

The Memorial on "The Indispensable Necessity for the Holy See to Recognise the House of Stuart as the Only True and Legitimate Successors of the Kingdom of England" of His Most Eminent Royal Highness, Henry, Cardinal Duke of York, to the Holy See imploring recognition of his brother, His Royal Highness Charles Edward Stuart as King of England:

http://jacobite.ca/documents/17650000.htm

The response of the Holy See, refusing to do so, thus recognising, de facto, and de jure, King George and the House of Hanover:

http://jacobite.ca/documents/17660114.htm

Diplomatic relations were restored, under HM King George V, in 1914 with a ‘Special Mission to the Vatican’ which was renamed ‘His Majesty's Legation to the Holy See’ in 1923. The Mission was raised to full Ambassadorial status in 1982 in the Reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II and the Pontificate of His Holiness John Paul II.

Further evidence that the Church does not oppose support for the existing Monarchy is that the Traditional Missal contains prayers for the Sovereign:

This prayer can be found on page 923 of the Roman Catholic Daily Missal from Angelus Press (probably the most common English-Latin Missal), after the Leonine Prayers . It is also found in the St. Andrew Daily Missal.

Do note though that these prayers would have been composed and mandated by the hierarchy in England rather then directly by the Holy See. Nonetheless this shows that after the restoration of Catholicism in England, at least, the Church saw no contradiction between the Faith and loyalty to the Crown.

PRAYER FOR THE SOVEREIGN OF ENGLAND
Chanted in Great Britain after High Mass on Sunday

V. Domine, salvum (-am) fac Regem nostrum (Reginam nostram), N.
R. Et exaudi nos in die, qua invocaverimus te.

Oremus.
Quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut famulus tuus N., Rex noster (famula tua N., Regina nostra), qui tua miseratione suscepit regni gubernacula, virtutum etiam omnium percipiat incrementa; quibus decenter ornatus (‑a), et vitiorum monstra devitare (tempore belli: hostes superare), et ad te qui via, veritas, et vita es, cum (Regina consorte et) prole regia gratiosus (-a) valeat pervenire. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.

***********

V. O Lord, save our King (Queen), N.
R. And mercifully hear us, when we call upon thee.

Let us pray.
We beseech thee, O almighty God, that thy servant N., our King (Queen), who by thy mercy hath assumed the government of the kingdom, may likewise receive an increase of every strength, whereby becomingly endowed, he (she) may be able to avoid the evils of vices (in time of war: to overcome his (her) enemies), and with (her) his (Queen consort and) royal children, in all grace attain to thee who art the way, the truth, and the life. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

And, for those who know their Canadian history, as I assume you do, it is important to remember that both during the American rebellion and the Patriotes insurrection the Bishops of Quebec reminded their people that they should honour their loyalty to their King and should not be tempted by the rebels.

God save Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, etc.! (Her official Style and Title under the Canadian Royal Style and Titles Act, 1985)