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King Charles III and Pope Leon XIV Share First Public Prayer Since the Reformation in the Sistine Chapel

The ecumenical service centered on care for creation and featured reciprocal gestures of recognition, including Charles’s installation as royal confrater with a permanent seat at St Paul Outside the Walls.

Pope Leo XIV, and Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla stand in the courtyard of San Damaso following an ecumenical prayer in the Sistine Chapel led by the Pope and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, at the Vatican, October 23, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Encuentro histórico el rey Carlos y el papa León XIV se reúnen en el Vaticano en un gesto lleno de significado.png
PAPA Y REY

Overview

  • The visit included a private audience of about 45–50 minutes in the Apostolic Library followed by a 30‑minute service that blended Catholic and Anglican rites in Latin and English with joint choirs.
  • Pope Leon XIV and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell presided over the prayer, with Charles and Queen Camilla seated alongside them in the Sistine Chapel.
  • After the service, the king and pope met organizations and business leaders engaged with Charles’s Sustainable Markets Initiative to discuss environmental action.
  • At St Paul Outside the Walls, Charles was named royal confrater and received a dedicated seat bearing his coat of arms and the motto “Ut unum sint,” while the pope was made papal confrater of St George’s Chapel in Windsor as part of reciprocal honors.
  • Officials framed the visit as a step in Anglican‑Catholic rapprochement and a display of institutional stability for the Crown as scrutiny over Prince Andrew continues at home.