From Royal Central:
“King Felipe calls for unity
in the face of troubled times in hard hitting Christmas message”
The King of Spain has issued a
plea for unity as he delivered one of his hardest hitting Christmas messages. Speaking
from the Zarzuela Palace on Christmas Eve, King Felipe said that the year had
been ”complicated and difficult” and he urged people across Spain to look to
the future by ”taking care of our democracy, protecting our
cohesion….strengthening our institutions.”
The war in Ukraine was at the
forefront of the King’s mind as he began his speech, the tenth Christmas
broadcast of his reign. Felipe VI described the conflict as causing ”levels of
destruction and ruin hard to imagine in everyday reality.” He went on ”we have
felt the suffering of the Ukrainian people, and we still feel great sadness for
the loss of thousands of human lives.” There were warm words, too, for those
who have been forced to leave Ukraine by war and who now live in Spain. King
Felipe said ”to the Ukrainian refugees in our country and all their
compatriots, you are in our hearts, especially today.”
The Spanish monarch reflected on
the impact the cost of living was having on many lives. He said ”rising prices,
especially of food, have meant insecurity in our homes. Everyday actions, like
turning on the heating or the light, or refuelling the car, have become a cause
for concern and in many cases have meant important personal and family
sacrifices.” But his main concern was the impact that these many difficulties
are having on society in Spain. King Felipe said the tensions were ”causing
great concern and uncertainty in our society. We cannot ignore the the severity
of these problems but we also cannot give up the possibility that things can
change and improve.” King Felipe encouraged everyone across Spain to ”trust in
ourselves as a nation” as well as committing themselves to be ”more committed
than ever to our democracy and to Europe.”
He said that threats of division,
deterioration of cohesion and the erosion of the nation’s institutions needed
to be addressed, adding ”a country which is divided or in conflict cannot make
advances.” He praised the impact the country’s Constitution had had and said
that the nation’s institutions should show respect for it. But he also said it
was important for every individual to take responsibility for thinking about
what ignoring threats to cohesion could mean for Spain. He ended by describing
Spain as ”one of the world’s great nations” and said ”the people of Spain must
continue deciding our destiny, our future, together. Taking care of our
democracy, protecting our cohesion, strengthening our institutions.”
His final words were ”we must
continue sharing goals, always with a spirit of renewal and adapting to
changing times. With confidence in our country, in a Spain I know well, brave
and open to the world, a Spain that seeks serenity, peace, tranquillity, a
Spain which is responsible, creative, vital and generous….it’s up to all of
you.” King Felipe sent festive wishes from himself, Queen Letizia and their two
daughters before bidding everyone Happy Christmas in the main languages of Spain.
^ This was a good speech. ^
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