Britain’s King Charles III and Pope Leo XIV met at the Vatican on Thursday, exchanging symbolic gifts and taking part in an ecumenical prayer service in the Sistine Chapel — the first time a reigning British monarch and a pope have publicly prayed together since the break with Rome in the 16th century.
The day began with a private audience in the Apostolic Palace, where the two leaders presented one another with keepsakes reflecting their shared history and faith. According to Vatican and reporting accounts, Pope Leo presented the king with a small-scale mosaic of Christ modeled on the famous Norman mosaic of Christ Pantocrator in Cefalù, while King Charles gave the pope an icon of St. Edward the Confessor and a framed photograph; both men also exchanged signed portraits. The Vatican also commissioned a specially made wooden seat bearing the king’s coat of arms — a chair that will remain at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and be reserved for future British monarchs — and Charles received the honorary title of “Royal Confrater” at the basilica.
Later the two joined an ecumenical midday prayer in the Sistine Chapel beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes. The short service blended Catholic and Anglican elements: Latin chant and readings in English, music from the Sistine Chapel Choir alongside British choirs, and contributions from senior clerics, including the Archbishop of York. Photographs and eyewitness accounts show the king and queen seated near the pope as cardinals and other dignitaries looked on. Observers described the moment as highly symbolic — an expression of continuing ecumenical rapprochement between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church after centuries of separation.
The visit also featured discussions on global topics both leaders have publicly stressed, notably care for creation and environmental stewardship. Following the service, the king and pope met with representatives of climate initiatives and business leaders involved with the king’s sustainability work. Vatican statements and reporting framed the agenda as a combination of spiritual fellowship and shared concern about ecological and humanitarian issues.
The meeting carries notable historical weight: British and Vatican relations were long strained by the English Reformation, and a public act of shared worship by a reigning British sovereign and a pope has not occurred in roughly five centuries. Commentators in the U.K. and internationally framed the encounter as an emblematic moment of reconciliation and of the wider ecumenical movement that has sought closer ties between Christian denominations.
Official summaries from the Vatican and the King’s household described the gifts as tokens of esteem and friendship and emphasized the visit’s spiritual and diplomatic dimensions. Organizers highlighted the participation of choirs from both traditions and said the events were intended to underline common moral responsibilities on issues such as poverty and the environment.
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