Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo XIV participated in a joint prayer session at the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, marking a historic moment as the first time an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff have prayed together since King Henry VIII’s separation from Rome in 1534. The Chapel reverberated with Latin chants and English prayers as Leo, the U.S. pope elected six months prior, and Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell led the service. Charles, the supreme governor of the Church of England, sat beside the Pope near the chapel’s altar, surrounded by the Sistine Chapel Choir and two royal choirs.
While Charles has met the last three popes and hosted Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in Britain, this occasion marked the first instance of joint prayers between them. Earlier on Thursday, Charles and Queen Camilla had a private meeting with Leo, a visit originally planned for earlier in the year but rescheduled due to Pope Francis’ illness and passing.
The visit, which Charles had eagerly anticipated during the 2025 Holy Year, symbolizes a significant step in strengthening the ties between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, bridging a five-century gap since their separation. Anglican Rev. James Hawkey expressed that the gathering at the Sistine Chapel signifies a symbolic reconciliation of history, highlighting the progress made in church dialogue over the past six decades.
During the service, Archbishop Cottrell stood in for Sarah Mullally, the recently appointed first woman to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury. Charles is scheduled to visit Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, where Leo will confer upon him the title of “Royal Confrater” and present him with a specially designated seat in the basilica’s apse, reserved for future British monarchs.
Bishop Anthony Ball, the Anglican representative to the Vatican, emphasized that the honors bestowed on both Charles and Leo reflect the commitment of their churches to a collaborative future. Buckingham Palace also announced that Charles had reciprocated by awarding Leo with two British honors.
The Church of England, part of the Anglican Communion comprising 46 autonomous churches worldwide, has been fostering closer ties with the Catholic Church, which boasts 1.4 billion members compared to the Anglican Communion’s 85 million. The formal split between the two churches in 1534 stemmed from Pope Clement VII’s refusal to annul King Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, culminating in a series of historical events that led to their separation and subsequent divergences in doctrine and practice.
