Pope Francis Meets King Charles in Surprise Vatican Visit

Photo: AFP

On Thursday, the Vatican shared a photo of Pope Francis meeting King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The meeting took place on Wednesday during the British king’s official visit to Italy.

This meeting was unexpected. Buckingham Palace had earlier cancelled the plan because Pope Francis, who is 88 years old, has been very sick. He was recently in the hospital for five weeks with serious pneumonia that nearly took his life.

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It was the first time Pope Francis met King Charles since Charles became king in 2022. Pope Francis leads the Catholic Church, which has about 1.4 billion followers. King Charles is the head of the Church of England.

During their 20-minute meeting, Pope Francis congratulated the royal couple on their 20th wedding anniversary, which was also on Wednesday. They also exchanged kind wishes for each other’s health, since both have been dealing with serious illnesses.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said, "Their Majesties were happy that the Pope felt well enough to meet them. It was a special moment to share their good wishes face to face."

King Charles, who is 76 years old, has been battling cancer for over a year. Less than two weeks ago, he had to go to the hospital for a short time because of side effects from his treatment. But he returned to work on April 1 after resting for a few days.

Pope Francis, who almost died twice while being treated for double pneumonia, has been recovering at the Vatican since March 23. Even though doctors told him to rest for two months, he surprised people by appearing in St. Peter’s Square last Sunday after a church service.

On Tuesday, the Vatican shared that Pope Francis’s voice and ability to move were getting better. Many people are now hoping he might take part in the Easter celebrations.

To help him breathe, the pope has been using a plastic tube called a cannula, especially at night. But in the photo released on Thursday, he was not wearing it.

This meeting was not just a surprise but also a hopeful sign for both leaders’ recovery.