King to be first British monarch to pray with Pope in at least 500 years
King to be first British monarch to pray with Pope in at least 500 years
King Charles and Pope Leo are to become the first British monarch and pontiff to pray together at a church service since the Reformation in the 16th Century.
This historic moment will be in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, during next week's state visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Under the chapel's famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo, the service will bring together clergy and choirs from both the Roman Catholic church and the Church of England, of which the King is supreme governor.
The visit will be seen as an important symbol of reconciliation, in a trip that will also see the first meeting between the King and the new US-born Pope.
The state visit to the Vatican has been rearranged after the previous visit was postponed because of 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, in one of the late pope's last meetings with high-profile visitors before he died.
The state visit on 22 and 23 October will see a series of meetings and services emphasising the warm relations between the Church of England and the Catholic church.
The King and Queen will meet the Pope and senior Vatican officials and there will be a special ecumenical service, bringing together Catholic and Anglican traditions, which will see the King and Pope praying together.
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