VATICAN CITY – In a groundbreaking move towards unity, the Catholic Church and the Church of England are set to bridge a historical divide. Next week, Britain’s King Charles III and Pope Leo XIV will join in prayer at the Sistine Chapel, a gesture underscoring a shared commitment to the stewardship of God’s creation, officials revealed on Friday.
This ecumenical prayer service, scheduled for October 23, marks a momentous occasion, as it will be the first time since the Reformation that leaders of these two Christian denominations come together in prayer.
Buckingham Palace and Vatican representatives have detailed the itinerary for the royal visit set for October 22-23. This trip, originally planned for April, was delayed due to Pope Francis’ final illness preceding his passing.
King Charles, as the ceremonial leader of the Church of England, expressed a keen interest in visiting the Vatican during the 2025 Holy Year—a significant event that occurs once every 25 years. This visit echoes the journey of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who attended the 2000 Jubilee, according to Monsignor Flavio Pace from the Vatican’s office for promoting Christian unity.
During his visit, King Charles will be honored with a new title at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, a basilica with deep-rooted connections to the Church of England. He will be designated as “Royal Confrater,” symbolizing spiritual fellowship. Alongside this title, a specially adorned chair featuring his coat of arms will be installed in the basilica, reserved for use by Charles and his successors, officials announced.
During the visit, Charles will be given a formal new title and recognition at a pontifical basilica that has strong, traditional ties to the Church of England, St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. The title “Royal Confrater,” is a sign of spiritual fellowship and will be given to Charles along with a special chair decorated with his coat of arms that will remain in the basilica for Charles and his heirs to use, officials said.
Anglicans split from the Catholic Church in 1534 when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. While popes for decades have forged warm relations with the Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion on a path toward greater unity, the two churches remain divided over issues such as the ordination of female priests, which the Catholic Church prohibits.
Significantly, the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, Sarah Mullally, will not join the king and queen since she hasn’t been formally installed as the Church of England’s spiritual leader. She is the first woman to hold the position, which is considered the first among equals in the broader Anglican Communion, which has more than 85 million members spread across 165 countries.
In her place, the archbishop of York will preside with Leo in the Sistine Chapel service, which will feature hymns sung by members of the royal choirs alongside the Sistine Chapel choir, Pace said.
Pace dodged a question about whether the Sistine Chapel service would have gone ahead as planned had Mullally been installed in time and joined the king and queen on the visit. He noted past joint statements of the Catholic and Anglican churches acknowledging their differences over women’s ordination but insisting that such obstacles shouldn’t prevent theological dialogue from continuing.
Charles and Camilla’s trip was originally scheduled for April as part of a joint Vatican-Italy state visit. After Francis got sick, the king and queen went ahead with the planned four-day leg in Italy, and briefly greeted Francis at the Vatican just a few weeks before he died.
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