King Charles reflects on pilgrimage, reconciliation and hope in Christmas Day address

King Charles III used his Christmas Day address to reflect on the importance of pilgrimage as he appealed to the nation “to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation”. 

Addressing the nation from the Lady Chapel of Westminster Abbey for the primary time, the King recalled his recent state visit to the Vatican with the Queen where he prayed with Pope Leo XIV in what he called “a historic moment of spiritual unity”. His state visit coincided with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee yr, which has been happening throughout 2025 with the theme of ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.

“Pilgrimage is a word less used today, but it surely has particular significance for our modern world, and particularly at Christmas. It is about journeying forward, into the longer term, while also journeying back to recollect the past and learn from its lessons,” the King said. 

He reflected on joining commemorations to mark the eightieth anniversaries of VE and VJ Day. earlier within the yr. He noted that lived memory of the Second World War is receding because the years pass by, but that “the courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and girls, and the best way communities got here together within the face of such great challenge, carry a timeless message for us all”.

“These are the values which have shaped our country and the Commonwealth. As we hear of division, each at home and abroad, they’re the values of which we mustn’t ever lose sight,” he said. 

“For instance, it’s inconceivable to not be deeply moved by the ages of the fallen – because the gravestones in our war cemeteries remind us. The young individuals who fought and helped save us from defeat in each world wars were often only 18, 19 or 20 years of age.” 

Returning to the theme of Christmas, the King said that “journeying is a continuing theme of the Christmas story”.

“The holy family made a journey to Bethlehem and arrived homeless without proper shelter,” he said. 

“The smart men made a pilgrimage from the east to worship on the cradle of Christ; and the shepherds journeyed from field to town searching for Jesus, the saviour of the world.

“In each case, they journeyed with others, and relied on the companionship and kindness of others. Through physical and mental challenge, they found an inner strength.

“To at the present time, in times of uncertainty, these ways of living are treasured by all the nice faiths and supply us with deep wells of hope: of resilience within the face of adversity; peace through forgiveness; simply attending to know our neighbours and, by showing respect to at least one one other, creating recent friendships.”

Continuing, the King spoke of the necessity to “pause” and “quieten our minds” in an effort to “allow our souls to renew”. This, he said, could give “the strength to be certain that right triumphs over fallacious”.

“It seems to me that we want to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation; the best way our Lord lived and died,” he said, adding that these virtues “make the longer term more hopeful”.

“Of course, the best pilgrimage of all is the journey we have a good time today – the story of The One who ‘got here right down to Earth from Heaven’, ‘whose shelter was a stable’ and who shared his life with ‘the poor and lowly’,” he concluded.

“It was a pilgrimage with a purpose, heralded by angels, that there must be peace on Earth.

“That prayer for peace and reconciliation – for ‘doing to others as we’d have them do to us’ – which rang out over the fields near Bethlehem greater than two thousand years ago, still reverberates from there and around the globe today.

“It is a prayer for our times, and our communities too, as we journey through our lives.”