King Charles III and Queen Camilla of England will make their first official visit to the Vatican in April 2025, marking a significant moment in Catholic-Anglican relations. According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, “The King and Queen will undertake State Visits to the Holy See and the Republic of Italy in early April 2025.”
As part of this visit, the royal couple will meet with Pope Francis and take part in the celebrations for the 2025 Jubilee Year. This pilgrimage year, observed by Catholics worldwide, offers an opportunity for spiritual renewal and is expected to draw millions of faithful to Rome. The visit also includes engagements in Rome and Ravenna, “celebrating the strong bilateral relationship between Italy and the United Kingdom,” according to Buckingham Palace.
A Historic Milestone for Catholic-Anglican Relations
While King Charles visited the Vatican on several occasions as Prince of Wales, this marks his first official visit as monarch. His coronation in May 2023 was widely recognized as a milestone in Catholic-Anglican relations, as it included the participation of a Catholic bishop for the first time in 400 years. This was seen as a meaningful step toward greater Christian unity.
The presence of interfaith leaders at his coronation was also noteworthy. As reported by Crux, British Ambassador to the Holy See, Chris Trott, remarked, “To see in this service the full range and extent of ecumenical participation and then beyond, with the inclusion of Sikh, and Muslim, and Hindu, and Jewish members of the House of Lords in the formal ceremony, I thought was very powerful.”
King Charles and Religious Pluralism
King Charles has long emphasized religious diversity and has expressed his desire to be known as “defender of faith” rather than the traditional title “defender of the faith,” which historically referred to Anglicanism. His emphasis on interfaith dialogue is particularly relevant in modern Britain, where, according to Fortune Magazine, fewer than half of the population identifies as Christian. The latest census reports that 37% of Britons claim no religious affiliation, while 6.5% are Muslim and 1.7% are Hindu.
As religious demographics in the United Kingdom shift, King Charles’s commitment to fostering understanding among different faith traditions is seen as increasingly vital. His efforts align closely with those of Pope Francis, who has made interfaith dialogue a cornerstone of his papacy.
A Legacy of Catholic-Anglican Engagement
King Charles’s visit continues a long tradition of British royals engaging with the Vatican. Queen Elizabeth II, his mother, visited the Vatican multiple times, including a special trip to Rome during the Great Jubilee of 2000. Charles himself has visited the Holy See five times, beginning in April 1985, with subsequent visits in 2005 for Pope John Paul II’s funeral, 2009, 2017, and most recently in 2019 for the canonization of Cardinal John Henry Newman, a significant figure in Catholic-Anglican history.
Throughout these visits, Charles has met with three popes—St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis—highlighting his ongoing engagement with the Catholic Church. Notably, he also encountered Pope John Paul II in Canterbury during the historic first papal visit to the United Kingdom.
Strengthening Ties Between the Vatican and the British Monarchy
Observers see Charles’s upcoming visit as another step in improving Vatican-UK relations, which have evolved significantly since the English Reformation. While historical tensions once defined Catholic-Anglican interactions, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign saw these differences diminish, aided by official state efforts and growing ecumenical collaboration.
King Charles’s role as a unifying figure across faiths may prove crucial in an era of increasing religious diversity and interfaith dialogue. As Trott stated in 2023, “When Christian communities can come together, it is easier for them to then reach out to other faiths.”
As Catholics worldwide prepare for the Jubilee Year, King Charles III’s visit to Pope Francis underscores the importance of ecumenical dialogue and collaboration, reaffirming the role of faith in modern society. This meeting between the British monarchy and the Vatican is set to be a powerful symbol of Christian unity and mutual respect in an ever-changing world.
