Rand Charles III and Queen Camilla return to Rome just six months after the last time. But it is not the usual state visit. The air we breathe is that of epochal events, because the eyes of the world are already focused on tomorrow, October 23. On that date, the English ruler, head of the Anglican Church, and Pope Leo XIV they will do something that hasn’t been seen for almost five hundred years: they will pray publicly together. An important gesture, which symbolically closes the wound opened by Henry VIII in 1534 and rewrites the relations between the two Churches.
King Charles and Pope Leo XIV: historic prayer in the Sistine Chapel
Tomorrow’s agenda, October 23, is packed. After the morning private audience with the Pontiff in the Apostolic Library, the highlight is set in Sistine Chapel. Under Michelangelo’s frescoes, King Charles and Pope Leo XIV will jointly preside over a ecumenical prayer for the care of Creation. Next to them, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. As explained by Monsignor Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for the promotion of Christian unity, «King Charles is also the head of the Anglican Church and he desired that the visit to the Holy See include a spiritual moment of prayer with the Pope».
The last visit of King Charles and Camilla to the Vatican, last April 9: the meeting with Pope Francis (ANSA / VATICAN MEDIA)
This gesture doesn’t come out of nowhere. The British historian Hugo Vickers, close to the royal family, he commented on the Corriere della Serawhich it is about «a gesture that speaks of the great steps in the ecumenical journey made over the centuries». According to Vickers, the interest of the English sovereign is profound and personal: «Charles has never hidden his profound interest in faith and interreligious dialogue, as he already demonstrated during his coronation in 2023, when he wanted exponents of different faiths during the rite».
Because this prayer is an event
Let’s do a quick review: in 1534 King Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon for marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope said no. The king’s response? A schism. He broke away from Romeproclaimed himself head of the newly formed Church of England and confiscated ecclesiastical property. Since then, relations between the British Crown and the Holy See have been complex, to put it mildly. Today’s prayer does not erase the past, but marks a turning point, a gesture of reconciliation which Charles’ predecessors, including Queen Elizabeth II, had never accomplished in this form.
King Charles receives the title of “Royal Confrater”
In the afternoon, the visit will continue to the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura. Here too, a symbolic event: King Charles will be awarded the honorary title of “Royal Confrater”royal brother of the monks. As Monsignor Flavio Pace explained in the press conference in the Vatican, the link between the English Crown and the Basilica is very ancient. «Historically the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura and the Benedictine Abbey have had a great connection with the Crown of England“, a bond which, Pace underlined, “was not destroyed” by the schism. The motto will be engraved in the royal stall “Ut unum sint” (Because they are one).
The king’s personal mission in the Vatican
Despite his battle with illness, King Charles strongly wanted this visit. As reported Future citing “court insiders”, the motivation goes beyond diplomacy. «It’s something deeply personal for him – they say – he doesn’t just go to pray: he goes to make peace with History». And he’s doing it today.
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