England, Britain – In a historic event unprecedented since England’s split from the Catholic Church under King Henry VIII in 1534, King Charles III of Britain and Pope Leo XIV participated in a joint prayer service inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Thursday.
The prayer came as part of an official state visit by the King and Queen to the Holy See. This step was described as “a symbol of the unity of faith and the renewal of relations between the two churches.”
The service was attended by a number of senior clergy, including the Archbishop of York. Choirs performed hymns of religious music in a moving spiritual atmosphere.
Before the prayer, the King and the Pope exchanged gifts. The King presented the Pope with an icon of Saint Edward the Confessor, while the Pope presented the King with a miniature copy of the “Christ Pantocrator” mosaic.
This is the first meeting of its kind between a Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the head of the Catholic Church since the Reformation. According to observers, this reflects “the beginning of a new phase of dialogue and unity among Christian denominations.”
