King Charles III has made history by becoming the first British monarch to pray alongside a pope since the Reformation. During a state visit to the Vatican, the King and Queen Camilla attended an ecumenical service led by Pope Leo XIV and the Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, in the Sistine Chapel. The King joined the congregation in responses to prayers, marking a significant milestone in Anglican-Catholic relations.
The service featured choirs from the Chapel Royal and St George's Chapel, Windsor, alongside the Sistine Chapel Choir. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper read a passage from the Letter to the Romans. After the service, the Queen met choir members while the King joined the Pope in the Sala Regia to discuss climate initiatives with representatives from the monarch's Sustainable Markets Initiative.
The royal couple were given a ceremonial welcome at the Apostolic Palace, greeted by the Swiss Guard and Papal Gentlemen. During their audience, the King presented the Pope with a silver-framed photograph and an icon of St Edward the Confessor. In return, Pope Leo gifted the King a mosaic of Christ Pantocrator. The visit celebrates the 2025 Papal Jubilee and the ongoing ecumenical relationship between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.
