By Isabella H. de Carvalho and Xavier Sartre
On Thursday, Oct 23, Pope Leo XIV participated in various events with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, including an ecumenical prayer in the Sistine Chapel, marking a historic moment in Anglican-Catholic relations.
The day included a private meeting between the two leaders in the Apostolic Palace and an ecumenical service in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where King Charles was conferred the title of Royal Confrater of Saint Paul.
Father Martin Browne, an Irish Benedictine monk and official of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, whose work focuses on the Church’s relationship with the Anglican Communion, spoke to Vatican News’ Xavier Sartre about some of the main elements of this historic day, especially the ecumenical aspects and the unifying theme of the care for creation.
A series of important and historical events
“One of the most significant things is that an English King has not prayed in the same place as a Pope since before the Reformation, since long before the separation of the Church of England from the Church of Rome,” said Father Browne.
Despite many English sovereigns having visited the Vatican, the last time they prayed with a Pope was 500 years ago. This historical event thus marks a “further development in the warmth of the relationship” between the two Churches, Father Browne continued.
The afternoon service in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls also represents the inauguration of “a new kind of relationship between the Basilica and the English crown”.
With the King becoming a Royal Confrater, he was “welcomed formally to the Basilica and seated in a very special chair that has been created for the occasion,” which bears his coat of arms and the verse in Latin from the Gospel of John, Ut unum sint (“That they may be one”).
“Traditionally, before the Reformation, the English sovereigns were known as the protectors of St Paul’s Outside the Walls. The Benedictine Abbey to this day still has a symbol of the British Order of the Garter, which is the highest order in the United Kingdom, as part of its coat of arms,” Father Browne said.
Common ground visibile between the Churches
The Vatican official underlined that, since King Charles III also holds the title of “Supreme Governor of the Church of England,” he wanted to have a “spiritual dimension” to his trip, despite it being a state visit to the Holy See.
For Father Browne, the King “clearly wished to express a closeness that he believes already exists and to make that concrete and visible” through the various events.
Additionally, both Pope Francis—with whom the ecumenical prayer had initially been scheduled in April but had to be postponed due to his ill health—and then later Pope Leo XIV welcomed this initiative.
“I think on both sides it’s about recognizing that, even though there are remaining divisions between our churches—very serious ones on all kinds of issues that we work on in our various theological dialogues—there is a huge amount of common ground, of shared faith, of shared spiritual tradition,” Father Browne explained.
Both services of the day, he emphasized, were “prepared very carefully in conjunction with the Royal Family and the Royal Household by us here in Rome, and every detail very carefully explored and discussed.”
St John Henry Newman: a witness of faith for both Churches
Father Browne underscored how in both the morning prayer in the Sistine Chapel and the afternoon service in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, St John Henry Newman was featured.
The hymn at the beginning of the former liturgy was written by St Ambrose of Milan, but the English version sung was translated by St John Henry Newman. In the latter service, the hymn “Praise to the Holiest in the Height” was featured from his poem The Dream of Gerontius.
“St John Henry Newman spent half of his life as a member, and later a priest, of the Church of England, and half of his life as a member and later a cardinal of the Catholic Church,” the Vatican official said. He is “a very significant figure in the joint history of faith and witness of our two traditions.”
“The Church of England very strongly and warmly supported both his canonization and the recent decision of the Holy Father to declare him a Doctor of the Church,” Father Browne underlined. In fact, the then Prince Charles attended Newman’s canonization in 2019 and recently visited his rooms in the Oratorian community in Birmingham.
An ecumenism of our common home
Another important theme that was especially emphasized in the readings and psalms featured in the morning ecumenical prayer was the care for creation.
“This visit was originally arranged when Pope Francis was alive and they wished to honour the common commitment of Pope Francis and King Charles to environmental concerns on the 10th anniversary of Laudato si’ publication, Father Browne explained, adding that Pope Leo welcomed the event, as he shares the same engagement for this topic.
“Originally, the Catholic Church took a lot of its inspiration,” when it came to environmental topics, “from the Greek Orthodox world and particularly from the leadership given by Patriarch Bartholomew. Since the publication of the encyclical Laudato si’ many other Christians have seen the importance of working together,” the Vatican official explained.
For Father Browne, one can definitely talk about an “ecumenism of our common home,” as in recent years there “has been a much stronger sense of the care for the environment being something that we need to witness together at this time.” – Vatican News
