Almost five hundred years after King Henry VIII dramatically separated the Church of England from Catholic authority to pursue his many marriages, a truly extraordinary event unfolded on Thursday. Another English monarch, King Charles III, himself divorced and remarried, joined Pope Leo XIV in a moving ecumenical prayer service held within the hallowed walls of the Sistine Chapel.
This deeply symbolic service took place in the very chamber where Pope Leo XIV was recently chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church. This marked the first time in centuries that a reigning Pope and a British monarch—who also serves as the titular head of the Church of England—have openly shared a moment of public prayer.
This momentous occasion underscores significantly warmer relations between Anglican and Catholic communities. It also highlights King Charles III’s clear desire to foster unity and be recognized as a leader promoting interfaith understanding. While his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, met with various popes during her extensive 70-year reign, she never engaged in public prayer with any of them. Even King Charles and Queen Camilla’s prior meeting with Pope Francis in April, just before his passing, did not include a joint prayer service.
Amidst the breathtaking frescoes of Michelangelo, and with the harmonious voices of both Anglican and Catholic choirs, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, led the prayers.
With Michelangelo’s monumental “Last Judgment” fresco serving as a dramatic backdrop, Pope Leo and Archbishop Cottrell conducted the service, alternating between English and Latin. King Charles and Queen Camilla observed from elegant gold chairs positioned close by.
Following the profound service, Pope Leo and King Charles departed the Sistine Chapel side-by-side.
The King and Queen’s participation was part of a broader state visit to the Vatican, strategically timed to align with the Jubilee – a significant year of spiritual renewal and forgiveness observed every 25 years. Prior to the prayer, they held a private audience with Pope Leo. King Charles also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.
For King Charles, this visit comes during a period of considerable challenge for the royal family, amidst fresh revelations concerning his brother, Prince Andrew, and his associations with the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Consequently, and under significant pressure from the King, Prince Andrew relinquished his title as the Duke of York.
Beyond current challenges, this visit prominently highlights one of the King’s enduring passions: promoting religious tolerance. During his initial 100 days on the throne in 2022, he visited a Jewish community center in London, even joining in a Hora dance at a Hanukkah celebration. His 2023 coronation further demonstrated this commitment, as he met with leaders from various non-Christian faiths, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
King Charles’s inclusive stance hasn’t always been without controversy. In 1994, long before his ascension, he suggested he envisioned his role as a “defender of faith” in a broader sense, rather than strictly the traditional “Defender of the Faith” – a comment interpreted as acknowledging Britain’s increasing multiculturalism. He later clarified, stating that while upholding his traditional title, he also aimed to be a “protector of faiths.”
Later on Thursday, a second ecumenical service was planned where the King was to accept the honorary title of Royal Confrater. This title acknowledges the deep historical connections between the British monarchy and Rome’s Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls. The Vatican further emphasized this bond by commissioning a special chair for the King and his future successors. Adorned with the royal coat of arms, the chair bears the Latin inscription “Ut unum sint” — “That they may be one” — symbolizing their shared Christian heritage.
Reverend Martin Browne, from the Vatican department dedicated to promoting Christian Unity in Rome, explained before the visit that these services were designed as a powerful symbol “of our closeness and willingness to see one another as brothers and sisters despite differences.” He emphasized, “That is clearly an important sign for the world, not just in terms of the ecumenical project but for humanity in general.”
Typically, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as head of the Church of England, would have joined the King on such a visit to Rome. However, the Most Reverend Justin Welby stepped down last November following a report criticizing his handling of widespread clerical abuse allegations involving boys and young men. Just this month, the Right Reverend Sarah Mullally made history by being named the first woman to hold the position, though her official installation is anticipated early next year.
The ordination of women remains a key theological divergence between the Anglican and Catholic traditions. While certain Anglican churches have been ordaining female priests since the 1970s, the Vatican maintains its practice of ordaining only men. The Catholic Church has also consistently deferred conversations about ordaining women, even to the lesser rank of deacon.
During a press briefing last week, Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Vatican department for Christian unity, acknowledged that the ordination of Anglican women presents a “potential problem” between the two churches. However, he stressed, “It is more urgent that we stay together, that we dialogue and that we continue to walk together.”
Upon her official installation, Archbishop-designate Mullally is expected to meet Pope Leo, as the pontiff frequently hosts leaders from other denominations in Rome. The Right Reverend Anthony Ball, who represents the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See, affirmed that “The development of having female clergy and female bishops in the Church of England is one that is recognized as a matter for the Church of England by the Catholic Church.”
Anna Rowlands, a political theologian at Durham University in England, suggested that theoretically, there’s no obstacle to the Pope holding future prayer services with a female Archbishop of Canterbury. Professor Rowlands noted that, “She will be, once installed, the head of a fellow Christian ecclesial community” with whom the Catholic Church maintains a relationship.
Despite this moment of shared prayer, theological experts caution that Pope Leo’s communion with King Charles does not imply a complete alignment on other long-standing issues that continue to divide the two churches.
For instance, Anglican priests are permitted to marry, and some Anglican congregations welcome openly gay clergy. In stark contrast, the Catholic Church mandates celibacy for its clerics and forbids openly gay individuals from being ordained. Furthermore, divorced Catholics whose marriages have not been annulled cannot remarry in a church ceremony, whereas divorced Anglicans are permitted to remarry within the Church of England.
The Very Reverend Andrew McGowan, a professor of Anglican studies at the Yale Divinity School, aptly summarized the sentiment: “We don’t have to change each other.”
Religious experts believe it’s improbable that either the Pope or the King would broach these sensitive, divisive topics. As Reverend Thomas J. Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service and seasoned Vatican observer, put it, “There’s certain topics you don’t bring up at Thanksgiving dinner. You know where everybody stands, and so the effort is to see where we can work together.”
One significant area of shared concern for both leaders is climate change. The King’s visit was initially planned to mark the 10th anniversary of “Laudato Si,” Pope Francis’s pivotal encyclical on environmental protection. Pope Leo XIV has passionately advocated for urgent global action to ensure the most vulnerable populations are not disproportionately affected by climate change. Similarly, King Charles has been a vocal proponent, consistently highlighting the existential threat that escalating carbon emissions pose to humanity.