Christmas Broadcast 2001
Published
For Christmas marks a moment to pause, to reflect and believe in the possibilities of rebirth and renewal.
The year 2001 saw large-scale terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, killing around 3,000 people, the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK's farming community, and famine in Sudan. The Queen's Christmas Broadcast for that year stressed the importance of communities working to respond to problems and disasters together.
For many people all over the world, the year 2001 seems to have brought them more than their fair share of trials and disasters.
There have been storms and droughts as well as epidemics and famine. And this country has not been spared, with the floods this time last year, and Foot and Mouth, which has had such devastating consequences for our farmers and rural communities.
They and others whose livelihoods have been affected continue to suffer hardship and anxiety long after the newspaper headlines have moved on.
But whilst many of these events were of natural origin, it was the human conflicts and the wanton acts of crime and terror against fellow human beings which have so appalled us all.
The terrorist outrages in the United States last September brought home to us the pain and grief of ordinary people the world over who find themselves innocently caught up in such evil.
During the following days we struggled to find ways of expressing our horror at what had happened. As so often in our lives at times of tragedy - just as on occasions of celebration and thanksgiving - we look to the Church to bring us together as a nation or as a community in commemoration and tribute.
It is to the Church that we turn to give meaning to these moments of intense human experience through prayer, symbol and ceremony.
In these circumstances so many of us, whatever our religion, need our faith more than ever to sustain and guide us. Every one of us needs to believe in the value of all that is good and honest; we need to let this belief drive and influence our actions.
All the major faiths tell us to give support and hope to others in distress. We in this country have tried to bring comfort to all those who were bereaved, or who suffered loss or injury in September's tragic events through those moving services at St Paul's and more recently at Westminster Abbey.
On these occasions and during the countless other acts of worship during this past year, we came together as a community - of relations, friends and neighbours - to draw strength in troubled times from those around us.
I believe that strong and open communities matter both in good times as well as bad. Certainly they provide a way of helping one another. I would like to pay tribute to so many of you who work selflessly for others in your neighbourhood needing care and support.
Communities also give us an important sense of belonging, which is a compelling need in all of us. We all enjoy moments of great happiness and suffer times of profound sadness; the happiness is heightened, the sadness softened when it is shared.
But there is more than that. A sense of belonging to a group, which has in common the same desire for a fair and ordered society, helps to overcome differences and misunderstanding by reducing prejudice, ignorance and fear.
We all have something to learn from one another, whatever our faith - be it Christian or Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh - whatever our background, whether we be young or old, from town or countryside.
This is an important lesson for us all during this festive season. For Christmas marks a moment to pause, to reflect and believe in the possibilities of rebirth and renewal.
Christ's birth in Bethlehem so long ago remains a powerful symbol of hope for a better future. After all the tribulations of this year, this is surely more relevant than ever.
As we come together amongst family and friends and look forward to the coming year, I hope that in the months to come we shall be able to find ways of strengthening our own communities as a sure support and comfort to us all - whatever may lie ahead.
May I, in this my fiftieth Christmas message to you, once again wish every one of you a very happy Christmas.
Related content
Christmas Broadcast 1970
Never before has there been a group of independent nations linked in this way by their common history and continuing affection.
Christmas Broadcast 1969
In a short time the 1960s will be over but not out of our memories. Historians will record them as the decade in which men first reached out beyond our own planet and set foot...
Christmas Broadcast 1968
At times it is almost hidden by the merry making and tinsel, but the essential message of Christmas is still that we all belong to the great brotherhood of man.
Christmas Broadcast 1967
Let there be no doubt that Britain is faced with formidable problems, but let there also be no doubt she will overcome them.
Christmas Broadcast 1966
The devotion of nuns and nurses, the care of mothers and wives, the service of teachers, and the conviction of reformers are the real and enduring presents which women have...
Christmas Broadcast 1965
A new army is on the march which holds out the brightest hopes for all mankind.
Christmas Broadcast 1964
You young people are needed; there is a great task ahead of you - the building of a new world.
Christmas Broadcast 1963
We know the reward is peace on earth, goodwill toward men, but we cannot win it without determination and concerted effort.
Christmas Broadcast 1962
Year by year, our families change and grow up. So does our Commonwealth family.
Christmas Broadcast 1961
For that child was to show that there is nothing in heaven and earth that cannot be achieved by faith and by love and service to one's neighbour.
Christmas Broadcast 1960
Although the contribution which any one person can make is small, it is real and important.
Christmas Broadcast 1959
As the old year passes, let us celebrate Christmas with thanksgiving and carry its message of peace and good will into the year ahead.
Christmas Broadcast 1958
Every year I look forward to opening the letters, parcels and telegrams that come to me from all parts of the world.
Christmas Broadcast 1957
Twenty-five years ago my grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages. Today is another landmark because television has made it possible for many of you to see...
A speech by The Queen to the UN General Assembly, 1957
Common ideals and hopes, not formal bonds, unite the members of the Commonwealth and promote that association between them which, in my belief, has contributed significantly...
Christmas Broadcast 1956
Neither the long and troubled centuries that have passed since that child was born, nor the complex scientific developments of our age, have done anything to dim the simple...
Christmas Broadcast 1955
I always feel that just for these few minutes, the march of history stops while we listen to each other, and think of each other, on Christmas Day.
Christmas Broadcast 1953
At the same time I want to show that the Crown is not merely an abstract symbol of our unity but a personal and living bond between you and me.
The Queen's Coronation Oath, 1953
The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.
A speech by The Queen on her Coronation Day, 1953
Throughout this memorable day I have been uplifted and sustained by the knowledge that your thoughts and prayers were with me.
Christmas Broadcast 1952
Since my accession ten months ago, your loyalty and affection have been an immense support and encouragement. I want to take this Christmas Day, my first opportunity, to thank...
A speech by the Queen on her 21st Birthday, 1947
I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
Wartime broadcast, 1940
And when peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.