King Charles III is set to make history as the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pope since the 16th-century schism that split the Anglican and Catholic Churches.
The British monarch and Queen Camilla departed for a two-day state visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, where they will meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time since his election in May.
On Thursday, Charles and the pontiff will join in an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel, marking a landmark in Anglican-Catholic relations. The last such act of unity dates back to before King Henry VIII’s break from Rome in the 1500s.
Buckingham Palace described the meeting as “a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England,” emphasizing that the event’s central theme will be environmental conservation, a cause long championed by King Charles.
The service will feature choirs from both the Sistine Chapel and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, symbolizing unity between the two traditions.
During his visit, Charles will also be made a “Royal Confrater” of the abbey adjoining the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls — a gesture acknowledging the “spiritual communion” between both faiths.
The trip comes amid personal and public challenges for the king, including renewed controversy surrounding Prince Andrew and Charles’s ongoing cancer treatment.
The historic prayer session precedes the Vatican’s preparations for its Jubilee Year, a major event that draws millions of pilgrims from around the world.
