Archbishop praises 'living tradition' of Tynwald

The Archbishop of York has said he is "honoured" to be taking part in the "living traditions" of the Tynwald Day ceremony.

Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell will be delivering the blessing at the end of the church service in the Royal Chapel of St John's before the annual open-air sitting of the parliament on Tynwald Hill.

Mr Cottrell said: "I'll be fascinated to witness it, but very honoured to take a small part in it."

He said he had been told about the ceremony on previous visits to the island so was "very much looking forward to being part of those celebrations".

"I'm a member of the House of Lords in England myself, so I'm not unfamiliar with ancient parliaments and their traditions," he said.

"I think what I'm impressed about is it's not a historic pageant, Tynwald Day, it is a living tradition. It's part of who you are on this island today.

"And I think those living traditions are very important, they demonstrate our continuity with those who went before us.

"But they're also a way of reasserting in a good way our identity. This is who we are, this is how we do things."

The archbishop has been visiting the island as part of his Lord's Prayer tour around the northern parish of the Church of England.

That included a service at Cathedral Isle of Man, in Peel, on Sunday evening.

Mr Cottrell said the purpose of the tour was "to teach people about the Lord's Prayer, which is not just a prayer, it's a way of thinking about how we live out live".

"Some of us say it so often - if we're honest rattle it off - that [we] don't stop to think about what it means," he added.

He said he was particularly keen to highlight the line "give us today our daily bread" because it offered a chance for people to reflect on how much they needed.

So the Lord's Prayer tour is about thinking about the Lord's Prayer, what it means, and how it might change your life, how it might actually change the world.

"It's easy for me to say it because I somebody who does have more than enough."

But, he added, "I know there are many people living here on the Isle of Man and indeed across the world who don't have enough".

He said the "answer is for us to learn how to share more equitably".

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