History was made in the hallowed Sistine Chapel this Thursday, as King Charles III, a divorced and remarried English monarch, joined Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical prayer service. This extraordinary event comes almost five centuries after King Henry VIII’s dramatic split from the Catholic Church, a move driven by his desire for divorce that fundamentally reshaped England’s religious landscape.
The choice of the Sistine Chapel for this historic gathering was deeply symbolic, as it was the very room where Pope Leo XIV was recently elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church. This marks the first time in hundreds of years that a reigning pontiff and a British monarch—who also serves as the titular head of the Church of England—have publicly offered prayers together, signaling a profound shift in interfaith relations.
This unprecedented joint prayer service underscores significantly improved relations between the Anglican and Catholic churches, and highlights King Charles III’s strong aspiration to be recognized as a unifying ecumenical leader. While his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had numerous meetings with popes during her long reign, none included a public prayer service. Even King Charles’s earlier meeting with Pope Francis in April, just before the late pontiff’s passing, did not feature such a joint spiritual observance.
Presiding over the prayers, beneath Michelangelo’s awe-inspiring frescoes, was the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York. His words were uplifted by the harmonious voices of both Anglican and Catholic choirs, creating a truly moving atmosphere. Images from the Vatican captured Pope Leo XIV alongside King Charles III and Queen Camilla, a poignant visual of their historic prayer service.
Following the profound service, Pope Leo and King Charles emerged from the Sistine Chapel together, a powerful visual testament to their shared spiritual moment.
Their participation in the service was part of a broader state visit to the Vatican, strategically timed to coincide with the Jubilee – a sacred year of penance and forgiveness observed every twenty-five years. Prior to the public prayer, the royal couple held a private audience with Pope Leo.
King Charles also engaged in discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. A statement from the Vatican confirmed that their talks covered pressing ‘matters of common interest,’ including vital issues like environmental protection and poverty alleviation.
This significant visit unfolds against a challenging backdrop for King Charles, as the royal family grapples with recent revelations concerning his brother, Prince Andrew, and his connections to the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following intense pressure from the King, Prince Andrew relinquished his title as the Duke of York.
Beyond the Anglican-Catholic reconciliation, this visit also prominently features one of King Charles’s most deeply held personal commitments: fostering religious tolerance. In 2022, during his initial 100 days on the throne, he notably visited a Jewish community center in London, even dancing the hora at a Hanukkah celebration. His 2023 coronation further underscored this dedication, as he met with leaders from various non-Christian faiths, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
However, King Charles’s inclusive stance hasn’t always been met without controversy. Decades before his ascension to the throne, in 1994, he suggested his future role would be that of a ‘defender of faith’ in a broader sense, rather than strictly ‘Defender of the Faith’ – a title traditionally tied to the Church of England. This was widely interpreted as an acknowledgment of Britain’s increasing religious diversity. He later refined his statement, clarifying that one could indeed be ‘Defender of the Faith’ while simultaneously acting as a ‘protector of faiths.’
Later on Thursday, a second ecumenical service saw the King bestowed with the honorary title of Royal Confrater, a recognition of the enduring historical links between the British monarchy and Rome’s Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls. For this occasion, the Vatican even unveiled a specially crafted chair for the King and his future descendants, adorned with the royal coat of arms and bearing the Latin inscription ‘Ut unum sint’ — ‘That they may be one’ — a powerful affirmation of shared Christian belief. The pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal visit were highlighted by the presence of the Swiss Guard, seen marching before the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Vatican.
Reverend Martin Browne, from the Vatican’s department dedicated to Christian Unity, explained the motivation behind these services: ‘They are a sign of our closeness and willingness to see one another as brothers and sisters despite differences.’ He emphasized its significance ‘not just in terms of the ecumenical project but for humanity in general,’ highlighting a message of global harmony.
Traditionally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the head of the Church of England, would accompany the monarch on such a visit to Rome. However, the Most Reverend Justin Welby stepped down last November amid allegations of a failed investigation into widespread clerical abuse. This month, a new chapter began with the appointment of the Right Reverend Sarah Mullally, who is set to become the first woman to hold this prominent position, with her official installation anticipated early next year.
The ordination of women remains a significant theological divide between the Anglican and Catholic traditions. While many Anglican churches have embraced female priests since the 1970s, the Vatican maintains its stance, ordaining only men. Discussions within the Catholic Church regarding the ordination of women, even to the role of deacons, have been repeatedly deferred.
During a recent press briefing, Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Vatican’s department for Christian unity, candidly acknowledged the ordination of Anglican women as a ‘potential problem.’ Yet, he stressed a greater priority: ‘It is more urgent that we stay together, that we dialogue and that we continue to walk together,’ underscoring a commitment to ongoing engagement despite differences.
It is anticipated that Archbishop-designate Mullally will meet Pope Leo once she is officially installed, as the pontiff frequently receives church leaders in Rome. The Right Reverend Anthony Ball, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, clarified the Catholic Church’s position: ‘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.’
According to Anna Rowlands, a political theologian at Durham University, there’s no theoretical barrier preventing the Pope from holding future prayer services with a female Archbishop of Canterbury. She explained that, once installed, the Archbishop ‘will be the head of a fellow Christian ecclesial community’ with whom the Catholic Church maintains a relationship.
However, theological experts caution that this joint prayer service does not signify a complete alignment of views on all issues that continue to separate the two churches.
Indeed, several key differences persist: Anglican priests may marry, and some Anglican churches welcome openly gay clergy, whereas the Catholic Church requires celibacy for its clerics and forbids openly gay clergy. Furthermore, divorced Catholics are not permitted to remarry in a church service without an annulment, while divorced Anglicans can remarry within the Church of England.
As the Very Reverend Andrew McGowan, a professor of Anglican studies at Yale Divinity School, aptly put it: ‘We don’t have to change each other,’ emphasizing a path of mutual respect rather than forced convergence.
Experts generally agree that neither the Pope nor the King would likely initiate discussions on these contentious matters. Reverend Thomas J. Reese, a seasoned Vatican analyst and senior analyst at Religion News Service, drew a relatable analogy: ‘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,’ suggesting a focus on common ground.
One significant area of shared concern for both leaders is climate change. The King’s visit was initially planned to align with the tenth anniversary of ‘Laudato Si,’ Pope Francis’s seminal encyclical advocating for planetary health. Pope Leo XIV has also been a vocal proponent for urgent global action, emphasizing the moral imperative to protect the poor from the disproportionate impacts of climate change. Similarly, King Charles has consistently championed environmental causes, frequently highlighting the existential threat posed by escalating carbon emissions.