King Charles to be first to pray with pope in five centuries

King Charles III leaves for a authorities sojourn to the Vatican Wednesday, wherever helium volition conscionable Pope Leo XIV and marque past arsenic the archetypal caput of the Church of England to commune publically with the pontiff since the schism betwixt the churches 500 years ago.

The sojourn comes astatine a delicate clip for the British king pursuing caller revelations astir his brother, Prince Andrew, who is mired successful a ungraded surrounding precocious US enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Charles and Queen Camilla volition conscionable Leo for the archetypal clip since helium succeeded the precocious Pope Francis successful May.

On Thursday, Charles and Leo volition commune unneurotic successful the archetypal specified nationalist spiritual infinitesimal since Henry VIII broke distant from the Catholic Church aft the past pope refused to annul his matrimony to the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon.

In 1961, the king’s mother, the precocious queen Elizabeth II, became the archetypal British monarch to sojourn the Holy See since the 16th-century fracture.

The two-day sojourn volition “mark a important infinitesimal successful relations betwixt the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor”, Buckingham Palace said.

Thursday’s ecumenical work successful the Sistine Chapel volition beryllium held nether the magnificent ceiling adorned with the paintings by Michelangelo.

Its main taxable volition beryllium conservation and protecting the environment, a origin which has been Charles’s beingness work.

It volition bring unneurotic Catholic and Anglican traditions, with the choir from the Sistine Chapel being joined by that from Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, 1 of the residences of the king and queen.

– ‘Spiritual communion’  –

“It is simply a historical lawsuit principally due to the fact that the king is ultimate politician of the Church of England and required by instrumentality to beryllium a Protestant,” said William Gibson, prof of theology astatine Oxford Brookes university.

“From 1536 to 1914 determination were nary ceremonial diplomatic relations betwixt the United Kingdom and the Holy See, and the ngo was lone upgraded to an embassy successful 1982,” helium told AFP.

Charles and Queen Camilla are besides acceptable to instrumentality portion successful an ecumenical spiritual work astatine the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls successful Rome, portion of a symbolic sojourn underscoring ties betwixt the Anglican and Catholic Churches.

During the Vatican visit, the king volition beryllium formally made a “Royal Confrater” of the abbey adjoining the basilica — a motion Buckingham Palace described arsenic recognising a “spiritual communion” betwixt the 2 denominations.

A specially designed spot for Charles III volition beryllium installed successful the basilica and preserved for usage by aboriginal British monarchs.

The sojourn coincides with preparations for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, held each 25 years, which draws millions of pilgrims to the Vatican.

It besides comes a time aft the work of the posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre who alleges she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to person enactment with the king’s younger member Prince Andrew connected 3 occasions, including doubly erstwhile she was conscionable 17.

Andrew announced connected Friday helium would relinquish his rubric arsenic Duke of York, reportedly nether unit from Charles. He had already stepped backmost from royal duties successful 2019.

The 76-year-old king meantime continues to person attraction for cancer, which was publically disclosed successful aboriginal 2024.

The monarch is nary alien to the Vatican having visited the Holy See respective times successful the past.

He and Camilla met privately with pope Francis connected April 9, conscionable days earlier the pontiff’s death, during a authorities sojourn to Italy.

AFP

The station King Charles to beryllium archetypal to commune with pope successful 5 centuries appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.