#EUReferendum: Church of England releases prayer for the referendum

The Church of England has released a prayer for the EU referendum campaign.  The prayer is for use by churches and individuals ahead of the vote on 23 June. The Queen is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and, while the prayer does not take sides, it does sound more 'Remain' than 'Leave' writes Catherine Feore.

The Queen has remained neutral throughout the debate on the EU referendum. A tabloid headline suggesting that the Queen backed Brexit was quickly refuted by the Palace. The article was based on a comment allegedly made by the Queen at a dinner, saying she didn't understand Europe. This seems like a thin basis for saying that Her Majesty was in support of leaving the EU.

The prayer calls for grace, honesty and openness:

God of truth,

 give us grace to debate the issues in this referendum

 with honesty and openness.

 Give generosity to those who seek to form opinion

 and discernment to those who vote,

 that our nation may prosper

 and that with all the peoples of Europe

 we may work for peace and the common good;

 for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

In 2015, during a visit to Germany, the Queen made a speech in which she said that the United Kingdom had always been closely involved with its continent. Again, the speech makes it clear that whatever the UK's future is, the UK's relationship with Europe will remain an important one.

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