Ecumenical Prayer during the State Visit of King Charles III to the Holy See

His Majesty King Charles III of Great Britain, together with his consort, Queen Camilla, undertook a state visit to the Holy See on 23 October 2025. In view of his role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the King wished that his visit would also include a religious dimension.

Following the formal meetings with the Pope and the Secretary of State, a service of Midday Prayer took place in the Sistine Chapel, presided by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and His Grace Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, with King Charles and Queen Camilla seated in the sanctuary. The psalms and reading for this historic service focused on praise of God as Creator, reflecting King Charles’s particular commitment to the environment, marking also the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. At the King’s request, the Children of the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace, London and the Choir of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle joined with the Sistine Chapel Choir for the occasion.

Later the same afternoon, the King and Queen visited the Papal Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls. Historically, this Basilica and the attached Benedictine Abbey had a strong connection with the English monarchy. From the late Middle Ages until the Reformation, successive English kings were recognised as the ‘Protectors’ of the Basilica and Abbey. In recognition of that historic association and with gratitude for the progress in the ecumenical journey since the Second Vatican Council, with the consent of Pope Leo XIV, the Cardinal Archpriest of the Basilica and the Abbot of the Benedictine community conferred the title of Royal Confrater on King Charles. A special chair was commissioned for the occasion, bearing His Majesty’s coat of arms, together with the phrase, Ut unum sint – ‘That they may be one’ (Jn 17:21). The King used this chair during the service, and it will remain in the apse of the Basilica permanently. The choirs from St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle joined the monastic schola for the service.