King Charles and Pope Leo mark ‘spiritual fellowship’ in state visit

In a state visit that betokened immense amounts of planning, King Charles III and Queen Camilla joined Pope Leo XIV for an ecumenical service at the Vatican today as both parties spoke of their increasing ties.

Described by Buckingham Palace as a “joining of hands between the Catholic Church and Church of England in a celebration of ecumenism,” today’s state visit by the British Royals was certainly viewed as historic.

It comprised the formal welcome of the monarch, a private meeting between the Pope and the Royal party, brief state meetings with the Secretary of State, and then the ecumenical prayer service in the Sistine Chapel. Following that, Leo and Charles spoke privately about ecological issues, before the Royal pair took part in another ecumenical prayer service at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Perhaps more than what was said, it was the actions that truly spoke louder than words. The very fact the visit took place at all was hailed by many eager royal correspondents as a milestone, a breakthrough in ecumenical relations, and – according to one over-enthusiastic reporter – a “meeting of equals.”

Indeed, Charles III and Leo XIV certainly sought to present that image of fraternal companionship. In a poignant move, the Pope conferred on the British King the title of “Royal Confrater” of the Abbey of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. The papal basilica has been the site of increasingly frequent ecumenical events between Catholics and Protestants in recent decades.

For Charles to receive such a title was a sign of “hope,” said the basilica’s archpriest, Cardinal Michael Harvey, and a welcome of a “brother.” Buckingham Palace described it as a “recognition of spiritual fellowship.”

Evidencing this, Charles was given a special seat, or liturgical throne, with his coat of arms and the ecumenical mission phrase “Ut unum sint.” It will now be the official seat reserved only for British monarchs in the papal basilica for years to come.

In return, the Anglican clergy of St. George’s College, Windsor – one of the monarch’s residences – made Leo XIV a Papal Brother of St. George’s Chapel. The Vatican did not comment further on the Pope’s award.

Additionally, Charles made the American Pope a Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Vatican Order of Pope Pius IX, whilst Leo made Camilla a Dame Grand Cross of the same Order.

Evident signs were thus not lacking of the intent by both parties to foster deeper, ecumenical relations. “These reciprocal gifts of ‘brotherhood,’ are a recognition of spiritual communion and are deeply symbolic of the journey that the Church of England (of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor) and the Roman Catholic Church have traveled over the last 500 years,” wrote the Palace.

Charles III is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a position which the monarch has held since the Protestant Revolt and the schismatic break with Rome enacted by King Henry VIII in 1534.

The Holy See does not recognize Anglican orders, and the recent rise of female ordinands in the Church of England – something the Catholic Church infallibly condemns – have further muddied the waters of attempts to overcome doctrinal juxtapositions.

Aside from such ecumenical gestures, Charles and Leo also gave center stage to what is a shared passion – namely ecological issues. The King’s attention to the matter is no secret, and Leo has also given some early priority to speaking about “care for our common home.”

Not only was their private encounter given over to meeting activists in the ecological field, but the prayer service in the Sistine Chapel was focused on the topic.

As noted, many commentators have rushed to hail today’s event as a breakthrough in ecumenical relations. Others have been more cautious about the longer-lasting and actual impact of the event will be. A notable and impressive spectacle for the global media to feast on – that goes without saying, but whether it will lead to the rejection of schismatic errors on the part of the Anglicans is harder to anticipate.

But giving a nuanced understanding of the meaning behind the spectacle, Dr. Joseph Shaw opined that “English Catholics can take great pleasure in King Charles giving the Pope Leo tokens of what he called ‘esteem and appreciation’, and in the Holy Father reciprocating in a such gracious manner.”

Such phraseology, the prominent academic and liturgical scholar told this correspondent, “is the language of diplomacy, but there is no reason to think it is insincere on either side.”

Charles III is, noted Shaw, “deeply interested in religion, and acknowledges the ancient connection between his office and the Catholic Church. Until the Reformation, the Kings of England were honorary Canons of St Paul Outside the Walls; this connection has been revived by making King Charles a ‘Royal Confrater’ of the Basilica.”

Shaw noted how undeniably “there remains a great gulf of belief between King Charles the Pope, but bonds of mutual respect can prepare the way for deeper understanding a reconciliation.”

Michael Haynes is an English journalist working as part of the Holy See Press Corps. You can follow Michael on Twitter or via his website Per Mariam.