Almost 500 years after King Henry VIII dramatically severed ties with the Catholic Church to pursue his marital ambitions, a modern-day English monarch, also divorced and remarried, shared a moment of profound public prayer with the Pope this Thursday within the hallowed walls of the Sistine Chapel.
This historic ecumenical service, held in the very chapel where Pope Leo XIV was recently chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church, marks the first instance in contemporary history where a reigning Pontiff and a British monarch — who also serves as the titular head of the Church of England — have engaged in public prayer together.
This joint prayer symbolizes a significant thawing of relations between the Anglican and Catholic traditions, and underscores King Charles III’s evident desire to be recognized as a leader promoting interfaith understanding. While his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, met with multiple Popes during her impressive seven-decade reign, she never publicly prayed alongside them. Similarly, King Charles and Queen Camilla had met Pope Francis shortly before his passing in April, but that occasion did not include a prayer service.
The royal couple’s participation was part of a planned state visit to the Vatican, initially arranged before Pope Francis’s death to align with the Jubilee – a sacred year of penance and forgiveness observed every 25 years.
For King Charles, this visit unfolds during a challenging period for the royal family, amidst fresh revelations concerning his brother Prince Andrew’s connections to the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following considerable pressure from the King, Andrew relinquished his title as the Duke of York.
Beyond the somber family matters, the visit highlights one of the King’s most enduring passions: fostering religious tolerance. In 2022, he celebrated his first 100 days as monarch by visiting a Jewish community center in London, even joining in a Hanukkah hora dance. His 2023 coronation further cemented this commitment, as he welcomed leaders from various non-Christian faiths, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
This inclusive stance hasn’t always been met without controversy. Decades before his ascension in 1994, Charles suggested his future role would be as a defender of faith generally, rather than solely the traditional ‘Defender of the Faith’ – a comment interpreted as acknowledging Britain’s increasing diversity. He later elaborated, explaining that one could be both the ‘Defender of the Faith’ and a ‘protector of faiths’ simultaneously.
Later on Thursday, a second ecumenical service was planned where the King was expected to accept the honorary title of ‘Royal Confrater.’ This title acknowledges the historical connections between the British monarchy and the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome. Furthermore, the Vatican commissioned a special chair for the King and his successors, adorned with the royal coat of arms and inscribed with the Latin motto ‘Ut unum sint’ (‘That they may be one’), symbolizing their shared Christian heritage.
Reverend Martin Browne, from the Vatican’s department dedicated to fostering Christian Unity, stated before the visit that these two services were arranged as a symbol of ‘our closeness and willingness to see one another as brothers and sisters despite differences.’ He emphasized that this represents a crucial message for the entire world, extending beyond just ecumenism to humanity at large.
Under the breathtaking frescoes of Michelangelo, Pope Leo and the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, jointly led the prayers, accompanied by harmonious Anglican and Catholic choirs.
Typically, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who leads the Church of England, would have joined the King for such a visit to Rome. However, the Most Reverend Justin Welby stepped down last November following a report indicating his failure to adequately investigate widespread clerical abuse allegations. This month, the Right Reverend Sarah Mullally was appointed as his successor, becoming the first woman to hold the position, though her official installation is slated for early next year.
The ordination of women remains a key point of divergence between the Anglican and Catholic churches. While some Anglican denominations have ordained women priests since the 1970s, the Vatican maintains its tradition of only ordaining men. The Catholic Church has consistently delayed formal discussions regarding the ordination of women, even for roles as deacons, who are lower-ranking ministers.
During a press briefing last week, Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Vatican department for Christian unity, addressed whether Pope Leo would have conducted a joint prayer with the incoming archbishop. He stated that this would not become an issue until her installation. While acknowledging that the ordination of Anglican women presents a “potential problem” for relations between the churches, 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, consistent with the Pontiff’s regular engagements with church leaders in Rome. The Right Reverend Anthony Ball, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, clarified 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.’
According to Anna Rowlands, a political theologian at Durham University, there’s no theoretical obstacle preventing the Pope from conducting future prayer services with a female Archbishop of Canterbury. She explained that once installed, Mullally would be recognized as ‘the head of a fellow Christian ecclesial community’ with whom the Catholic Church already maintains a relationship.
Theological experts emphasize that such a service would not signal a shift in the papacy’s stance on ordaining women. Similarly, Pope Leo’s prayer with King Charles doesn’t imply a complete agreement on all other divisive issues.
Significant differences remain: Anglican priests are permitted to marry, and some Anglican churches welcome openly gay clergy, whereas the Catholic Church requires celibacy for its clerics and forbids openly gay individuals from serving. Furthermore, divorced Catholics whose marriages haven’t been annulled cannot remarry in a church ceremony, a practice that contrasts with the Church of England, which allows divorced Anglicans to remarry.
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.’
Experts generally agreed that neither the Pope nor the King would likely raise contentious issues. Reverend Thomas J. Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service and a veteran Vatican observer, likened it to avoiding ‘certain topics you don’t bring up at Thanksgiving dinner.’ He added, ‘You know where everybody stands and so the effort is to see where we can work together.’
Climate change stands as a significant shared concern between the two leaders. The King’s visit was initially planned to align with the 10th anniversary of “Laudato Si,” Pope Francis’s seminal encyclical advocating for environmental protection. Pope Leo has also vocally championed global efforts to ensure the most vulnerable do not disproportionately bear the brunt of climate change, while King Charles has consistently highlighted the existential threat posed by increasing carbon emissions to humanity.