King Charles to meet Pope Leo XIV in historic Vatican visit

Today marks a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and the British monarchy as King Charles III, accompanied by Queen Camilla, makes a state visit to the Holy See.

Their Majesties will arrive at the Vatican tomorrow at 09:45 local time and will meet Pope Leo XIV at 10:00 in the Apostolic Palace. At 11:00, they will take part in an ecumenical prayer service in the Sistine Chapel, presided over by the Pope and Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York. Later in the day, at 13:30, they will attend a service at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.

The private audience in the Apostolic Palace will mark the first meeting between King Charles and Pope Leo XIV, who was elected earlier this year. According to the Vatican, the visit has been timed to coincide with the Jubilee Year 2025 and will focus on two central themes: Christian unity and care for creation.

The ecumenical prayer in the Sistine Chapel is being described as historic. It will feature the children’s choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, the choir of St George’s Chapel in Windsor, and the Sistine Chapel Choir, under the joint chairmanship of the Pope and the Archbishop of York.

After the prayer service, King Charles and Pope Leo will meet in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, joining civil society and business representatives to discuss environmental sustainability.

The visit will then move to St Paul Outside the Walls, a basilica with longstanding links to the English Crown. There, King Charles will be honoured with the title of “Royal Confrater” of the adjoining Benedictine abbey, approved by the Pope, and presented with a specially commissioned chair bearing his coat of arms.

The visit carries deep historic resonance. Since King Henry VIII’s break with Rome in the sixteenth century, relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church have slowly improved, especially through the ecumenical movement of the twentieth century.

For the British monarchy, this is more than a ceremonial event. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the King’s participation in a joint service with the Pope carries powerful symbolism. The presence of senior Anglican clergy alongside Catholic liturgical tradition, the meeting between Pope and King, and the honour conferred at the basilica together signal a visit intended as a genuine step forward in Christian unity rather than a matter of state formality.

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