King calls for compassion, reconciliation

Britain’s King Charles III called for “compassion and reconciliation” at a time of “division” across the world in his Christmas Day message on Thursday.

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The 77-year-old monarch said he found it “enormously encouraging” how people of different faiths had a “shared longing for peace”.

King Charles praised individuals who risked their lives to save others in situations of violence, including those caught up in the killings at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach in Australia this month.

“Individuals and communities have displayed spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm's way to defend others,” said the king whose words were accompanied by images of events at Bondi.

Eighty years after the end of World War II, the king said the courage of servicemen and women and the way communities came together after the conflict carried “a timeless message for us all”.