The details for an April state visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the Holy See have been confirmed. An audience with Pope Francis is planned though it has not been confirmed due to his ongoing health problems.
The UK royals will be in Italy from 7–10 April, with the first part of the visit being focused on the Vatican and the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, according to <a href="https://www.royal.uk/ItalyHolySee" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">a program</mark></a> released by Buckingham Palace on 18 March.
The Vatican has not commented on a potential meeting between the royal couple and Pope Francis, though a planned meeting between the three is scheduled for 8 April, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262803/king-charles-iii-plans-state-visit-to-vatican-meeting-with-pope-francis"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> <em>OSV News</em>.
Pope Francis's schedule has been suspended while he is recovering from double pneumonia in Gemelli Hospital. The pontiff has now been in hospital for over a month.
In addition to a potential meeting with Pope Francis, the King and Queen will attend an ecumenical service on the theme of “Care for Creation” in the Sistine Chapel, according to the statement from Buckingham Palace.
For the first time, <em>OSV News</em> notes, the King will also visit the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which, the palace said, had a particular link to English kings before the Reformation.
Members of the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and the Choir of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, will perform at the basilica and during the service in the Sistine Chapel.
King Charles will also attend a reception with seminarians from Britain and across the Commonwealth. Queen Camilla will meet with Catholic religious women from the International Union of Superiors General (IUSG), and who work to prevent human trafficking and sexual violence against women.
During his Italy visit, the King will become the first British monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament on April 9.
Charles was crowned in May 2023, following his mother’s death after a 70-year reign. The coronation ceremony was <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/king-charles-and-queen-camilla-to-visit-pope-in-april/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">hailed as a major step forward in terms of Catholic-Anglican relations</mark></a> for the British monarchy, as it marked the first time in 400 years a Catholic bishop participated in a coronation.
The ceremony was also noted for its interreligious novelty and forward-looking openness. Religious leaders from various communities including Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh traditions were also in attendance.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/is-the-soul-of-king-charles-a-prisoner-of-the-british-monarchy-and-its-link-to-anglicanism/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><em><strong>RELATED: Is King Charles’s soul a prisoner to the British monarchy and its link to Anglicanism?</strong></em></mark></a>
<em>Photo: Pope Francis meets with then Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during the Royal couple's visit to the Vatican, 4 April 2017. (Photo by Tim Rooke - Pool / Getty Images.)</em>
