Charles, Pope Hold First Public Joint Worship Since Reformation

King Charles III and Queen Camilla met and publicly prayed with Pope Leo XIV at the Sistine Chapel on Oct. 23 during a two-day state visit to the Vatican, marking the first recorded public joint worship of a British monarch and a pope since the English Reformation. The ecumenical service was led by Pope Leo and Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell beneath Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and featured combined music from the Sistine Chapel Choir and visiting royal choirs, with prayers focused on care for creation, peace and poverty. Charles was made a Royal Confrater at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and was presented with a specially decorated seat reserved for future British monarchs. Vatican and British officials said they discussed shared priorities including environmental protection, poverty reduction and promoting peace, and framed the visit as a concrete step in ongoing ecumenical dialogue. Officials also noted the encounter was a diplomatic milestone for Pope Leo—his first high-profile international engagement since his election—and it provided the royals a public moment of unity amid renewed scrutiny over Prince Andrew.