Queen warns of "real divide" between young and old
The Queen this year delivered two Christmas messages
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Monday, 25, Dec 2006 03:15
The Queen has today called for young and old to come together in her traditional message to the Commonwealth.
Speaking at Southwark Cathedral in London, the monarch adopted a tone of tolerance after another year when religious difference has been a key theme.
She emphasised how the generations have much to offer each other and how all the faiths have the same beliefs on the importance of nurturing young people and respecting the elderly.
"The wisdom and experience of the great religions point to the need to nurture and guide the young, and to encourage respect for the elderly," Queen Elizabeth II said in her annual speech.
The monarch also warned that the "pressures of modern life" can sometimes lead to "a real divide opening up between young and old, based on unfamiliarity, ignorance or misunderstanding".
"It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common - people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens," the Queen added.
Today's speech was the first to be available as a podcast and hundreds of people are thought to have subscribed to download it for free.
The speech was also made available on the royal family's website after being broadcast on TV at the usual 15:00 GMT time.
Dressed in green, the monarch was shown talking to schoolchildren about a nativity scene they had made.
She also made reference to her 80th birthday celebrations held this year, thanking her subjects for the "generous response" they gave her and paying tribute to the "energy and vitality" of the young people she had the chance to meet during 2006.
The Queen also delivered a radio message to the British armed forces and their families, both in this country and on postings overseas, which was broadcast yesterday.
The message was particularly aimed at those UK service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and it was the second year in recent times the Queen has chosen to make such a speech.
More than 60 British troops have died in service this year.