King Charles and Pope Leo have become the first in 500 years to offer a joint prayer publicly.
On October 23, Thursday, during the second day of their state visit to the Vatican City, the King and Queen joined Pope Leo XIV in public prayer at the Sistine Chapel.
Charles, the Supreme Leader of the Church of England, praying with the first American pope highlighted the latest step in a historic reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
Here are details about the rift and the significance of the first joint worship in at least five centuries:
The Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion split:
The Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion split began in 1534 when King Henry VIII of England, who is a very distant antecedent of Charles, separated the Church of England from Rome because the Pope refused his request for an annulment.
Henry VIII wanted to divorce his first wife and marry again to produce a male heir.
Soon after the English church broke away from Rome, it adopted most of the tenets of the Protestant Reformation.
Although the teachings of the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion align on many major issues, significant differences remain.
In the following centuries, Catholics were denied rights and privileges in Britain and were seen as potential traitors due to their allegiance with the pope, before an act of parliament in 1829 allowed them to enter parliament or high office.
A 300-year-old ban on the heir to the throne marrying a Catholic was overturned in 2013.
The ties between the two churches have been steadily improving for decades, but the first joint worship of an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff marks a significant step.
King Charles: The "Defender of Faith"
Charles has a long history of promoting inter-faith dialogue and meeting with the leaders of different faiths.
In 1994, he expressed a desire to be called "Defender of Faith" rather than "Defender of the Faith", triggering some criticism due to his role as the head of the Church of England.
British monarchs have defender of the faith in their official title, which King Henry VIII was given by the then pope, before he broke with Rome.
On the other hand, King Charles will also be gifted a special seat in the apse of the basilica during his two-day state visit.
Reserved in the future for British monarchs use, the wooden chair is decorated with the king's coat of arms and the ecumenical motto "Ut unum sint" (That they may be one).
