Leaders of Britain’s national churches join King Charles at the Vatican to meet and pray with the Pope.
Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, and Right Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the Church of Scotland , travelled with their Majesties King Charles (Supreme Governor of the Church of England) and Queen Camilla and joined Pope Leo XIV for an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, before attending a special ceremony at St Paul Outside-the-Walls where King Charles was given the honorary title of Royal Confrater (shared fraternity), and presented with a special chair for use by the British monarch in the Basilica. This occasion yesterday is the first time a British monarch has prayed with the Pope at least since before the Reformation in the 16th century.
At the Basilica Mrs Frew presented the King and the Pope with a copy each of the Saint Margaret Declaration – an historic statement of friendship between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church*.
In ecumenical spirit, here is the Church of Scotland article about the visit, which includes the 47 minute video of the service in the Sistine Chapel. (Prayers led by Pope Leo and Archbishop Stephen start 25’45” into the video. Image above from Vatican video.)
*The originally Celtic Christian church in Scotland had morphed into the Catholic Church and, in the 12th century, separated from England’s jurisdiction. It was subsequently reformed in the 17th Century to Church of Scotland – The Kirk – then following the presbyterian tradition and making it distinct from the Anglican or Catholic churches in Britain.