Historic First: King Charles and Pope Leo Pray Together at the Vatican
Vatican City, The Gulf Observer: In an unprecedented event marking nearly five centuries since the English Reformation, Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo prayed together at the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, the first joint worship between an English monarch and a Catholic pope since King Henry VIII’s break from Rome in 1534.
The service, led by Pope Leo and Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, featured Latin chants and English prayers resonating under Michelangelo’s famed frescoes of the Last Judgment, according to News.Az citing Reuters. King Charles, the supreme governor of the Church of England, sat beside the pope near the altar, while the Sistine Chapel Choir performed alongside two royal choirs, enhancing the ceremonial music.
Although King Charles has met previous popes and Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have visited Britain, none of these encounters included shared prayers. The King and Queen Camilla are currently on a state visit to the Vatican, celebrating the strengthening of ties between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, five centuries after the historic schism.
The separation of the Catholic Church and the Church of England was formalized in 1534 when Pope Clement VII refused to annul King Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The king’s desire for a male heir, the crown’s seizure of church assets, and the rise of Protestantism in England led to the split, which triggered decades of religious oscillation, persecution, and execution for adherence to faith.
The ceremony also marked a historic milestone for the Anglican Church, with Archbishop Cottrell representing Sarah Mullally, recently named as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, who will officially assume office next year.
This extraordinary gathering symbolizes a new chapter in Vatican-British relations, blending centuries of historical tension with a message of modern reconciliation.
