King Charles and Pope Leo to lead ecumenical service highlighting Anglican-Catholic ties

The Vatican state visit has been rescheduled after an earlier plan was postponed due to the ill health of Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis.

The King and Queen had a private meeting with Pope Francis on their 20th wedding anniversary in April, one of the late pope’s final meetings with prominent visitors before his death.

The state visit on 22 and 23 October will feature a series of meetings and services highlighting the close ties between the Church of England and the Catholic Church.

The King and Queen will meet the Pope and senior Vatican officials, and a special ecumenical service blending Catholic and Anglican traditions will see the King and Pope pray together.

The Sistine Chapel service will centre on safeguarding the natural world, reflecting the King’s long-standing advocacy for environmental causes.

Its broader aim is to demonstrate harmony between the two denominations, with the Sistine Chapel Choir performing alongside the Choir of St George’s Chapel and the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal.

The lavishly decorated 15th Century chapel is where the conclave of cardinals gathers to elect a pope.

British monarchs and popes have met before, including the late Queen Elizabeth II.

However, Buckingham Palace and the Church of England say there has been no comparable occasion, that of a British monarch and a pope praying side by side at a joint church service, since Henry VIII’s break with Rome in the 16th Century.

Royal sources have underscored the event’s historic importance, noting the King’s long-standing commitment to fostering interfaith understanding.

There will be another link to the pre-Reformation era when the King attends a service at the church of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.

This church and abbey, which houses the tomb of St Paul, has long been connected to the English monarchy, dating back to medieval and Anglo-Saxon rulers who helped support the upkeep of the building in Rome.

The insignia of the Order of the Garter has been displayed here for centuries, reflecting its ties to the English monarchy.

The King will also receive an honorary spiritual designation linked to the abbey, becoming a "royal confrater" within its confraternity.

A Church of England spokesman said the title honours the King’s "work over many decades to find common ground between faiths and to bring people together".

The King will sit in a specially made seat adorned with his coat of arms, which will remain in place for his future visits and for his successors.

State visits are undertaken on behalf of the government, and a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The Catholic Church is the largest denomination of the world’s largest religion."

Accordingly, the King and Queen’s visit will "strengthen the UK’s relationship with this crucial and influential partner", she said.