King Charles and Pope Leo XIV to pray publicly together today

HRH King Charles will join the Pope to pray publicly together at an ecumenical service during his state visit with the Queen to the Holy See this week.

The news has been welcomed around the world as a “significant moment” in relations between the Catholic church and the Church of England, and a tribute to the work in finding common ground between the faiths especially in times of such global unrest.

Finding common ground between the faiths: King Charles and Pope Leo XIV to pray publicly together today.

The news has been welcomed around the world as a “significant moment” in relations between the Catholic church and the Church of England, and a tribute to the work in finding common ground between the faiths especially in times of such global unrest.

King Charles will join Pope Leo XIV at the ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel today (Thursday 23 October).

The King and Queen will also visit the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, whose connections with the English crown stretch back to Saxon rulers, including the kings Offa and Æthelwulf, when they provided for the upkeep of the St Paul the apostle’s tomb inside the papal basilica.

The King has also accepted the title of “royal confrater” of the abbey in recognition of spiritual fellowship and his work bringing people of different faiths together.

A special seat has been created for the monarch that will remain in the basilica as a perpetual mark of mutual respect between Pope Leo and the king as heads of state. Decorated with the king’s coat of arms, he will use the chair during an ecumenical service in the abbey, after which it will remain in the apse of the basilica for future use by his heirs and successors.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “This will be the first state visit, since the Reformation, where the pope and the monarch will pray together in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, and the first time the monarch will have attended a service in St Paul’s Outside the Walls, a church with an historic connection to the English crown.”

Anna Pitt, executive director of The Association of English Cathedrals, said, “To come together in prayer and to cross historic divides in this way is much needed in these challenging times of global unrest, when we are confronted daily by stories and images of division and hate.

“What better than to come together in prayer,” she added.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said that at a time of global instability and conflict, “the UK’s relationship with the Holy See is more important than ever – and this historic state visit will be a key moment to strengthen this relationship”.

Queen Elizabeth II was the first British monarch since the Reformation to make an official visit to the Holy See, in 1961.