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King Charles III to visit Vatican next week / Photo: Jeanne ACCORSINI - POOL/AFP
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King Charles III to visit Vatican next week
Britain's King Charles III, head of the Church of England, and Queen Camilla will make an historic state visit to the Vatican next week to meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.
"The King and Queen will undertake an historic state visit to the Holy See from 22nd-23rd October 2025. The visit will mark Their Majesties' first meeting with Pope Leo XIV since his election in May 2025," a palace statement said.
The trip will come around six months after the royal couple met Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, in a private visit shortly before his death.
Francis died on April 21 after 12 years as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
Leo, 70, who has a history of missionary work in Peru and is the first pope from the United States, was elected in a conclave of cardinals on May 8.
During the visit next Wednesday and Thursday Charles and Camilla will join Leo in celebrations to mark the current special jubilee year, held every 25 years, the palace statement said.
The programme will include a service in the Sistine Chapel reflecting on Leo and Charles' shared "commitment to the protection of nature and concern for the environment", it added.
The king will also visit a seminary that trains priests from across the Commonwealth while the queen will meet Catholic sisters from a body that works with girls education programmes to tackle challenges such as sexual violence, human trafficking and poor access to healthcare.
The visit would mark "a significant moment" in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, recognising the "ecumenical work they have undertaken and reflecting the Jubilee year's theme of walking together as 'Pilgrims of Hope'," the palace said.
The British monarch is head of the Church of England, the mother church of global Anglicanism.
The Church was established in the 16th century by Henry VIII, the king who broke with the Catholic church over its refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
The split fuelled centuries of conflict, but in modern times relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, often referred to as the Anglican Church, have been amicable.
Charles, 76, last met Francis, which whom he also shared a passion for protecting the environment, in Rome in April despite having officially postponed the private audience due to the pontiff's poor health.
The king, who is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, has previously visited the Vatican on five occasions as Prince of Wales, and has met three popes.
D.Fischer--BlnAP
