Almost five centuries after King Henry VIII dramatically severed ties with the Catholic Church to pursue his marital ambitions, a modern-day divorced and remarried British monarch, King Charles III, joined Pope Leo XIV in an emotional ecumenical prayer service at the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel this Thursday. This remarkable gathering signifies a profound step towards reconciliation between the two major Christian faiths.
The solemn service took place within the very walls where Pope Leo XIV had recently been elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church. This marked the first instance in hundreds of years that a reigning pontiff and a British sovereign, who also serves as the titular head of the Church of England, have publicly knelt in prayer together.
This historic encounter underscores significantly improved relations between the Anglican and Catholic denominations, alongside King Charles III’s evident commitment to fostering ecumenical leadership. While his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, met with several popes during her extensive reign, she never publicly participated in a joint prayer with any of them. Although King Charles and Queen Camilla did meet Pope Francis in April, prior to his passing, no joint prayer service was held at that time.
The prayers were jointly led by Pope Leo and the Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, in a blend of English and Latin, with accompanying Anglican and Catholic choirs. King Charles and Queen Camilla observed the service from elegant gold chairs.
A poignant image captures Pope Leo XIV alongside King Charles III and Queen Camilla during this significant occasion at the Vatican.
The royal couple’s participation in the service was part of a state visit to the Vatican, strategically timed to coincide with the Jubilee, a sacred year of spiritual reflection and forgiveness observed every quarter-century.
For King Charles, this visit comes amidst challenging times for the royal family, as fresh revelations surface regarding his brother, Prince Andrew’s, association with the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following considerable pressure from the King, Andrew has relinquished his title, the Duke of York.
However, the journey also highlights one of the King’s enduring passions: championing religious tolerance. He notably commemorated his first 100 days on the throne in 2022 by visiting a Jewish community center in London, where he famously danced the hora at a Hanukkah celebration. His 2023 coronation further demonstrated this commitment, as he welcomed and engaged with leaders from diverse non-Christian faiths, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
King Charles’s inclusive approach has, at times, drawn criticism. In 1994, well before his ascension to the throne, he suggested he envisioned his role as a defender of faith in a broader sense, interpreted by some as acknowledging Britain’s growing religious diversity. He later clarified his stance, stating that while being the Defender of the Faith, one could also be a protector of all faiths.
A photograph shows King Charles and Queen Camilla engaged in a prayer session, led by Pope Leo and the Archbishop of York within the majestic Sistine Chapel, as released by the Vatican.
Later on Thursday, the King was scheduled to accept the honorary title of Royal Confrater in a second ecumenical service, an honor recognizing the historical ties between the monarchy and Rome’s Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. The Vatican also presented a specially designed chair for the King and his successors, adorned with the royal coat of arms and bearing the Latin inscription “Ut unum sint” – “That they may be one” – symbolizing their shared Christian heritage.
Before the public prayer service, King Charles and Queen Camilla were granted a private audience with Pope Leo.
The King also engaged in discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. According to a Vatican statement, their conversation encompassed “matters of common interest,” focusing on environmental protection and efforts to alleviate global poverty.
Reverend Martin Browne, a member of the Vatican department dedicated to promoting Christian unity in Rome, explained prior to the visit that these services were organized as a demonstration “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, who leads the Church of England, would accompany the King on such a visit to Rome. However, the Most Rev. Justin Welby resigned last November following a report that criticized his handling of widespread clerical abuse allegations involving boys and young men. This month, the Right Rev. Sarah Mullally was appointed as the first woman to hold this significant role, though her official installation is not anticipated until early next year.
The ordination of women remains a significant theological difference between the Anglican and Catholic traditions. While some Anglican churches have been ordaining female priests since the 1970s, the Vatican maintains its practice of ordaining only men. The Catholic Church has repeatedly deferred discussions on whether women could be ordained even as lower-ranking church ministers, known as deacons.
Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Vatican department for Christian unity, acknowledged at a recent press briefing that the ordination of Anglican women presents a “potential problem” between the churches. However, he stressed the greater urgency of remaining united, engaging in dialogue, and continuing to move forward together.
Once Archbishop-designate Mullally assumes her position, a meeting with Pope Leo is highly probable, given the pontiff’s regular engagements with church leaders in Rome. The Right Rev. Anthony Ball, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, stated that the Catholic Church acknowledges the development of female clergy and bishops within the Church of England as an internal matter for the Anglican communion.
An image shows Queen Camilla during her visit to the Pauline Chapel, which is renowned for its frescoes by Michelangelo depicting St. Paul and St. Peter.
Despite the joint prayer, theological experts caution that Pope Leo’s engagement with King Charles does not indicate a reconciliation on other contentious issues that continue to divide the two churches.
For instance, Anglican priests are permitted to marry, and some Anglican churches welcome openly gay priests. In contrast, the Catholic Church mandates celibacy for its clerics and prohibits openly gay clergy. Furthermore, divorced Catholics whose marriages have not been annulled cannot remarry in a church service, whereas divorced Anglicans are permitted to remarry within the Church of England.
“We don’t have to change each other,” remarked the Very Rev. Andrew McGowan, a professor of Anglican studies at the Yale Divinity School.
Experts suggest it’s improbable that either the Pope or the King would introduce these divisive topics during their discussions. “There’s certain topics you don’t bring up at Thanksgiving dinner,” observed Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service and a veteran Vatican commentator. “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 seminal document advocating for global action to protect the planet’s health. Pope Leo has also forcefully advocated for global efforts to prevent the disproportionate impact of climate change on the poor, a cause King Charles has long championed, frequently warning of an existential threat to humanity from rising carbon emissions.