King Charles III Prays with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican

On Thursday, King Charles III of Britain participated in prayers with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. This ecumenical service sought to strengthen the connection between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, institutions that have diverged for a long time.

Buckingham Palace noted that this marked the first occasion a British monarch engaged in public prayer with the pope since the Reformation, which happened around 500 years ago, while it’s likely been even longer. During this official visit to the Vatican, accompanied by Queen Camilla, the king aimed to bridge gaps between the Anglican Church—over which he serves as supreme governor—and the Catholic Church.

The royal couple had a private audience with the Pope at the Vatican Palace and participated in a communal prayer service in the Sistine Chapel. During this gathering, choirs from the Sistine Chapel and St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the late Queen Elizabeth II is buried, sang together.

The British delegation also included the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who read from the Bible. Notably, Archbishop Cottrell is visiting the Vatican ahead of the formal inauguration of Archbishop Sarah Mulally, the first woman to hold the title of Archbishop of Canterbury, set for spring 2026.

Buckingham Palace conveyed that this “special service” symbolized “the joining of hands” between the Catholic Church and the Church of England in a celebration of ecumenism. To honor this significant event, both the king and the pope exchanged honors.

King Charles conferred upon Pope Leo the title of Knight of the Bath, the highest order of British chivalry, and named him a “Papal Fellow” of St. George’s Chapel. In return, the pope honored the king with a knighthood in Pope Pius IX’s Vatican Order and appointed him as the “royal orator” of the monastery at St. Paul’s Out-the-Walls, an ancient church tied to the British royal family.

Buckingham Palace further elaborated that these “mutual gifts of ‘fraternity'” represent a spiritual bond and are a meaningful reflection of the path both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church have traversed over the past 500 years.

While London strongly advocates for these ecumenical gestures, the Vatican appears more hesitant, despite hosting the royal visit. Interestingly, the Vatican does not officially recognize the Church of England’s legitimacy, which adds a layer of complexity to such interactions.

The meeting is reportedly the first of its kind since Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church and established the Church of England in the 16th century. While some might claim this is a significant moment, it may not capture the full context. Henry VIII never met with the pope or visited Rome, so it’s plausible that a British monarch praying with the pope hasn’t occurred in at least 500, perhaps even 1,000 years or more.

Historically, England’s King Canute is known to have visited Rome in 1027 and met Pope John XIX. Previously, in 1985, then-Prince of Wales Charles attempted to pray with Pope John Paul II during a Vatican visit, but Queen Elizabeth II did not allow it.