King Charles III will become the first British monarch in five centuries to pray publicly with a pope when he visits the Vatican next week for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee celebrations.
The 76-year-old monarch will join Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical service inside the Sistine Chapel, marking a symbolic moment in relations between the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
Buckingham Palace described the event as the first public act of worship between a reigning British sovereign and a pope since the Reformation under Henry VIII in the 1530s.
In recognition of King Charles’s longstanding advocacy for inter-faith dialogue, Pope Leo will confer upon him the title of “Royal Confrater” of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.
A specially crafted seat bearing the King’s Coat of Arms will be used during the service and permanently placed in the Basilica’s apse as a symbol of enduring respect between the two heads of state.
The King and Queen Camilla will be in Vatican City on Wednesday and Thursday, marking their first meeting with Pope Leo since his election in May.
Their previous visit in April included a brief encounter with Pope Francis, who was then recovering from illness.
The Jubilee, traditionally observed every 25 years, is a sacred period in the Catholic calendar, drawing pilgrims and dignitaries from around the world.
During the visit, the royal couple will also meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, and tour the Pauline Chapel, home to Michelangelo’s final frescoes depicting Saints Peter and Paul.
