Nearly five centuries after King Henry VIII of England famously broke with the Catholic Church over his desire for a divorce (and subsequent marriages), a contemporary English monarch, King Charles III, himself divorced and remarried, joined Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical prayer service within the hallowed walls of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday.
This landmark service took place in the very same chamber where Pope Leo XIV was recently elected as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. It stands as the first instance in hundreds of years of a pontiff and a British monarch, who serves as the nominal head of the Church of England, engaging in public prayer together.
The gathering underscores a significant improvement in relations between the Anglican and Catholic denominations, as well as King Charles III’s clear desire to be recognized as a leader promoting interfaith understanding. Notably, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, met with several popes during her long reign but never publicly participated in prayer with any of them.
The Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, joined Pope Leo in leading the prayers, which were recited in both English and Latin. Anglican and Catholic choirs offered musical accompaniment as the King and Queen Camilla observed from elegant gold chairs nearby.
The King and Queen’s participation in the service was part of a state visit to the Vatican, coinciding with the Jubilee, a significant year of spiritual reflection and forgiveness observed by the Catholic Church every quarter-century.
For King Charles, this visit comes at a challenging period for the royal family, amidst ongoing revelations regarding his brother, Prince Andrew’s connections to the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following intense pressure from the King, Andrew relinquished his title, the Duke of York.
However, the trip also served to highlight one of the King’s enduring passions: religious tolerance. In 2022, he marked his first 100 days on the throne by visiting a Jewish community center in London, where he famously danced the hora at a Hanukkah celebration. His 2023 coronation also saw him welcoming leaders from various non-Christian faiths, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
Charles’s inclusive approach has, at times, drawn criticism. Decades before his ascension to the throne, in 1994, he suggested his future role would be as a defender of faith in general, which was interpreted as acknowledging Britain’s increasing religious diversity. He later clarified, stating that while being “Defender of the Faith,” he could also be a “protector of faiths.”
During a second ecumenical service on Thursday, the King participated in a solemn ceremony, accepting the honorary title of Royal Confrater. This title recognizes the deep historical ties between the British monarchy and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The Vatican also presented a specially designed chair for the King and his future descendants, adorned with the royal coat of arms and inscribed with the Latin phrase “Ut unum sint” – “That they may be one” – signifying a shared Christian heritage.
Earlier that day, the King and Queen also held a private audience with Pope Leo.
The King also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. The Vatican released a statement confirming that their discussions encompassed “matters of common interest,” including environmental protection and efforts to alleviate global poverty.
Reverend Martin Browne, a member of the Vatican department dedicated to promoting Christian unity, remarked before the visit that the services were organized as a 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.”
Traditionally, the archbishop of Canterbury, as the spiritual head of the Church of England, would have accompanied the King on such a visit to Rome. However, the Most Rev. Justin Welby resigned last November following a report detailing his failure to adequately investigate widespread clerical abuse allegations. This month, the Right Rev. Sarah Mullally was appointed as the first woman to hold the role, though her official installation is not anticipated until early next year.
The ordination of women remains a significant point of divergence between the Anglican and Catholic faiths. The Vatican maintains a male-only priesthood and has consistently deferred discussions regarding the ordination of women, even to the lower rank of deacons.
Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Vatican department for Christian unity, acknowledged in a recent press briefing that the ordination of Anglican women posed a “potential problem” between the churches. Yet, he stressed the greater urgency of maintaining unity, dialogue, and a continued shared journey.
Upon her official installation, Archbishop-designate Mullally is expected to meet with Pope Leo. Anna Rowlands, a political theologian at Durham University in England, noted that in principle, there is no obstacle to the Pope conducting future prayer services with a female Archbishop of Canterbury. She explained that once installed, Mullally would lead “a fellow Christian ecclesial community” with which the Catholic Church maintains a relationship.
Theological experts indicated that Pope Leo’s prayer with King Charles does not signify a reconciliation of differing views on other contentious issues that separate the churches.
For instance, Anglican priests are permitted to marry, and some Anglican churches welcome openly gay priests. In contrast, the Catholic Church upholds clerical celibacy and prohibits openly gay clergy. Additionally, divorced Catholics whose marriages have not been annulled are not permitted to remarry in a church ceremony, while divorced Anglicans are.
“We don’t have to change each other,” observed the Very Rev. Andrew McGowan, a professor of Anglican studies at the Yale Divinity School.
Experts largely agreed that it was improbable either the Pope or the King would raise these divisive topics. “There’s certain topics you don’t bring up at Thanksgiving dinner,” quipped Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service and a seasoned Vatican observer. “You know where everybody stands, and so the effort is to see where we can work together.”
The King’s visit was initially planned to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’s groundbreaking encyclical on environmental protection. Pope Leo has spoken emphatically about the imperative for global action to ensure that the heaviest burdens of climate change do not fall upon the poor. King Charles has long warned of the existential threat posed to humanity by rising carbon emissions.