King Charles Prays with Pope, Historic Anglican-Catholic Moment

VATICAN CITY – In a moment decades in the making, King Charles III and Queen Camilla shared a historic prayer with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, marking the first public joint prayer between a British monarch and a pope in nearly 500 years. The ceremony, held under Michelangelo’s iconic Sistine Chapel ceiling, brought together Catholic and Anglican traditions in a 30-minute service that resonated across the Christian world.

The event recalls the schism of 1534, when King Henry VIII broke from the Roman Catholic Church to form the Church of England after the pope refused to annul his marriage. Thursday’s service symbolized reconciliation, with Charles, as supreme governor of the Church of England, participating alongside the US-born Pope Leo XIV, who assumed leadership of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic community in May.

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Charles and Camilla were welcomed at the Apostolic Palace by the Swiss Guard before meeting the pope in the papal library. The service featured the Sistine Chapel choir performing alongside singers from Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, one of the king’s residences. Clerics, diplomats, and politicians attended, highlighting shared concerns like environmental conservation, a cause long championed by Charles.

Following the ceremony, the king and queen will attend a service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where Charles will be made a “Royal Confrater” and receive a specially designed seat for him and future British monarchs.

This landmark visit comes amid sensitive times for the British monarchy, as recent controversies involving Prince Andrew have placed additional scrutiny on royal duties and titles. The Vatican encounter, however, underscores a continuing effort to bridge historic divides and foster Christian unity.