King Charles III, Pope Leo XIV Pray in Vatican

On Oct. 23, 2025, King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the Vatican and the King prayed publicly alongside Pope Leo XIV in a historic ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel — the first shared public liturgy between an English/British monarch and a Catholic pope since the 16th-century Reformation. The service blended Catholic and Anglican traditions, featured choirs and readings, was attended by Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and other senior clergy, emphasized care for creation and promoting peace, and was broadcast by Vatican media. Before the Mass the monarchs met the pope privately at the Apostolic Palace and exchanged gifts; reports say reciprocal honours were conferred, and the King later visited the Pontifical Bede College, met seminarians, and planted a tree. The visit was framed as a symbolic step toward Anglican–Catholic reconciliation and to mark the Papal Jubilee, but drew criticism from some Protestant figures who said the joint prayers conflicted with the King’s oath and occurred amid sensitivity over recent royal controversies.