Pope Leo XIV and King Charles to Pray Together in Historic Visit and the King to Receive Formal Title by the Pope and Chair
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The Vatican released that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will make an official State visit to the Vatican on Thursday, October 23, where they will be received by Pope Leo XIV. The visit, confirmed by both the Holy See and Buckingham Palace, marks a historic moment in Anglican-Catholic relations and will focus on two key themes: Christian unity and care for the environment.
King Charles III will be the first British monarch since the Reformation to pray publicly with the pope, at the Sistine Chapel.
King Charles will also be honoured with the title of Royal Confrater of Saint Paul at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, recognising the long-standing ties between the British Crown and the Benedictine abbey attached to the basilica.
At 12 pm local time, Pope Leo XIV will lead an ecumenical prayer service for the care of creation in the Sistine Chapel. Afterwards, a meeting will take place in the Sala Regia with individuals and organisations dedicated to environmental protection. Later in the afternoon, at 2:45 pm, the King and Queen will visit the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where King Charles will be formally granted the title Royal Confrater of Saint Paul.
At a Vatican press briefing on 17 October, Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, outlined the ecumenical aspects, while Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, spoke about the ecological dimension.
Originally scheduled for April, the visit also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s environmental encyclical Laudato Si’. King Charles - who, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, has long been committed to interfaith engagement - specifically requested to take part in a liturgy focused on creation care. That service will be led jointly by Pope Leo XIV and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, in the Sistine Chapel.
The Royal Family Released: Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the Holy See in late October 2025.
During Their Majesties’ State Visit, The King and Queen will join His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year. Traditionally marked every 25 years, a Papal Jubilee is a special time for the Catholic Church. The visit will celebrate the ecumenical work by the Church of England and the Catholic Church, reflecting the Jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
During Their Majesties’ State Visit, The King and Queen will join His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year. Traditionally marked every 25 years, a Papal Jubilee is a special time for the Catholic Church. The visit will celebrate the ecumenical work by the Church of England and the Catholic Church, reflecting the Jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
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