rome
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King Charles III made a state visit to the Vatican on Thursday, becoming the first British monarch in 500 years to offer public prayer with the pope after a traumatic week back home following the uproar over the Prince Andrew scandal.
Beneath the grand vaulted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo, Karl and Pope Leo XIV prayed together in a special ecumenical service, the first since at least the Reformation.
The service focused on care for creation, a long-standing concern of the king and a theme highlighted by Pope Leo early in his papacy. Leo and Anglican Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell presided.
The combined choirs of St George’s Chapel and the Royal Chapel performed at the service alongside the Sistine Chapel choir. British singers performed “If I Love You” by Thomas Tallis, a prolific Renaissance composer of sacred choral music.
This choice was important because Tallis’s life spanned until the schism from Rome caused by Henry VIII. Although Tallis never renounced his Catholic faith, he continued a successful career after the Reformation.
The sight of the king and pope praying together for the first time shows the deepening ties between Catholics and Anglicans, the subject of the whistleblower visit.
The king and queen met with the new pope on Thursday morning for the first time since his election in May, after arriving in Rome the night before to celebrate the quarterly Year of the Holy Jubilee. They also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See.
Buckingham Palace said the British monarch gave the pope a large silver photograph and an icon of St. Edward the Confessor. In return, Leo presented him with a scaled version of the Christ Pantocrator mosaic in the Norman Cathedral of Cefalu, Sicily.
The Vatican said the discussions were “friendly” and “shared interests were discussed, including environmental protection and the fight against poverty.”
The statement added that “particular attention was paid to the common commitment to promoting peace and security in the face of global challenges.”
The visit is seen by both sides as a “pivotal moment” in reconciling the rift between the British monarchy and the papacy, which dates back to 1534, when Henry VIII broke with Rome and founded the Church of England.
“It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this special visit,” the Rev. Martin Brown, a Vatican official in the Department for the Promotion of Christian Unity, told CNN. He said it was the first time a royal visit had an “ecumenical dimension”, meaning the focus was on building unity between Rome, the Church of England and the wider Anglican communion.
“We haven’t seen a service that includes both the Pope and the King of England since long before the Reformation,” Brown explained. “Its uniqueness is emphasized by the fact that the music will be conducted by the Pope’s ‘own’ choir and the two kings’ ‘own’ choirs, and will take place in the Sistine Chapel within the Apostolic Palace.” ”
The king and queen then attended an ecumenical service outside the city walls at St Paul’s Cathedral, which has historical links to the British royal family and is home to the tomb of the apostle St Paul, whose upkeep was paid for by successive British monarchs. It is one of the four papal cathedrals in Rome and is also home to a community of Benedictine monks.
Pope Leo approved making King Charles a “Royal Fellow” of St. Paul’s Cathedral as a “sign of hospitality and spiritual communion.” To celebrate this new bond, the House of Worship commissioned a special throne-like chair featuring the King’s coat of arms and the Latin motto “Ut unum sint” (“May they be one”). It will remain permanently in the cathedral for the use of his successors.
The Pope has also appointed the King and Queen as Knights and Ladies of the Order of Pius IX. Charles himself decided to honor Pope Leo by making him a “Papal Fellow of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle” and a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, an honor traditionally given to heads of state.
The state visit concluded with King Charles attending a reception at the Pontifical University of Beda, a seminary that trains priests from across the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, Queen Camilla met with six Catholic sisters from the International Union of High Officials, which works to empower women around the world, including through girls’ education.
Despite the turmoil of the past, relations between the Vatican and the British monarchy are today characterized by warmth and mutual respect. The UK and the Holy See have had full diplomatic relations since 1982.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were scheduled to make an official visit to the Vatican in early April, but the visit was postponed due to Pope Francis’ poor health. The group continued to make official visits to Italy, visiting Rome and Ravenna in the northeast. However, the King and Queen were able to pay a personal visit to the sickly Pope two weeks before his death.
As Prince Charles, he visited the Vatican five times, and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, met with five popes during her lifetime.
“Yes, there are differences and gaps, but some of them are very deep,” Brown said. “But this (visit) reminds everyone that those who come together are more important.”
Diarmaid McCulloch, an ecclesiastical historian at Oxford University, said that although there was unwarranted “hype” surrounding the king’s visit, “there is real significance in the Holy See’s showing of such formal favor to Charles.”
“This is a great gesture of goodwill on the part of the Vatican, and gestures of goodwill are always welcomed,” McCulloch said.
