Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III.
On 23 October, King Charles III and Pope Leo XIV made history by praying together in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome. This was the first time in nearly 500 years that the leader of the Church of England and the leader of the Catholic Church had publicly worshipped together.
The King travelled to the Vatican with Queen Camilla, alongside other important religious leaders, including the Archbishop of York and the Archbishop of Westminster. The UK Government’s Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, also attended and read from the Bible during the service.
The King and the Pope’s meeting is important because, historically, the two churches haven’t always got on. The Church of England was created by the English king, Henry VIII, in 1534, after he decided he wanted to break from the Catholic Church. He did this because the Church refused to allow Henry to end his marriage and marry another woman. As a result, the British monarch set up the Church of England and named himself head of it.
Queen Camilla greets Italian children.
Both King Charles and Pope Leo are thought to have shared interests, including the environment, and they exchanged gifts. A specially crafted chair was given to the King which will remain in the Vatican for future British monarchs to use. They also gave each other trees to plant. ■