Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III Unite in Historic Prayer at Sistine Chapel
Vatican city: Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III, who is also the head of the Anglican Church, made history by praying together in the Sistine Chapel. It marks the first public prayer between a British monarch and a pontiff since the Church of England’s split from Catholicism five centuries ago.
According to Ansa News Agency, the historic prayer occurred during an ecumenical service led by Pope Leo and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. Queen Camilla joined King Charles during the service. The ceremony featured psalms sung by the Sistine choir, the choir of St. George’s Chapel of Windsor Castle, and the children’s choir of the Royal Chapel of St. James Palace.
Prior to the service, King Charles, who arrived in Rome on Wednesday, had a private meeting with Pope Leo at the Apostolic Palace. This was their first encounter since Leo became pope earlier this year. During their meeting, the Pope welcomed King Charles in English, and the monarch expressed his thrill over the occasion. They exchanged gifts, with King Charles presenting a silver photograph and an icon of Saint Edward the Confessor, while the Pope gifted a scale reproduction of the mosaic “Christ Pantocrator” from the Norman Cathedral of Cefal¹, Sicily.
The reading during the ecumenical service, attended by Pope Leo, King Charles, and Queen Camilla, was taken from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans, focusing on hope, the Jubilee’s theme. Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, read the passage, and the liturgy alternated between Latin and English.
Following the ecumenical prayer, the Pope and King Charles moved to the Sala Regia, concluding the state visit. They met with representatives of organizations and companies dedicated to environmental protection, a shared interest of both the Holy See and the British Crown. During this meeting, they exchanged white cymbidium orchids, symbolizing their mutual concern for the environment. Sister Alessandra Smerilli introduced the event on behalf of Borgo Laudato Si’.
After their final encounter on environmental issues, the royals departed the Vatican. Their next engagement is an ecumenical ceremony at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, home to the tomb of St. Paul. The service will be presided over by Cardinal James Harvey and Dom Donato Ogliari, with the King and Queen Camilla visiting the tomb alongside Archbishop Stephen Cottrell and Rosemary Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.