British royals to make ‘historic’ visit to gravely ill Pope Francis
The head of the Church of England, King Charles, and his wife Queen Camilla will make history when they go to Italy for what is likely to be a bedside vigil with Catholic leader Pope Francis.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Pope Francis next month as the Catholic leader continues to battle a life threatening respiratory condition.
Their Majesties will spend time with the Pope as part of State Visits to the Holy See and Italy from April 7 to 10.
It is particularly significant given King Charles’ role as head of the Church of England.
“The visit to the Holy See will be an historic visit in the year of the Papal Jubilee, and will mark a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England with a special service in the Sistine Chapel, joining hands in a celebration of ecumenism, and of the work The King and The Pope have done over many years on climate and Nature,” a statement from the Palace reads.
“The visit to Italy will underscore the depth and breadth of the bilateral relationship: our defence relationship including in the current international context; our shared values, history and culture; our work together on the clean energy transition; and the links between our peoples and communities.”
The Palace has confirmed the King and Queen will visit the pontiff on April 8.
“In an historic first, His Majesty, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will also visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, with which English Kings had a particular link until the Reformation,” the Palace confirmed.
“St Paul’s Outside the Walls is recognised as the Papal Basilica where reconciliation, ecumenism and relationships across the Christian faith are celebrated.”
British choirs including the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and the Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, will also travel for the occasion to perform in both the Sistine Chapel and at St Paul’s Outside the Walls.
They will be accompanied by the Sistine Chapel Choir.
The King is also slated to attend a reception with Seminarians from across the Commonwealth and the British Vatican community.
For her part, the Queen will meet with Catholic Sisters from The International Union of Superiors General who the empowerment of women and girls.
The King will meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and he will become the first British Monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament. They will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, attend a State Banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale and enjoy a joint fly-past over Rome by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori and by the Royal Air Force acrobatic team, the Red Arrows.
The will be Charles’ sixth visit to the Holy See.
He was accompanied by Princess Diana in 1985 where they met Pope John Paul.
He returned again for Pope John Paul’s funeral in 2005 and was accompanied by Queen Camilla for visits in with Pope Benedict in 2009 and the current pontiff in 2017.
Additionally, he attended the Canonisation of English Cardinal John Henry Newman in 2019.
The announcement came after the first image of Pope Francis was released since he was admitted to a Rome hospital more than four weeks ago.
On Sunday (Monday AEDT) the Vatican released an image of the 88-year-old wheelchair-bound pontiff inside the chapel on the 10th floor of Gemelli hospital where he has been since February 14.
The image, which was taken from behind Francis and did not show his face, captured him celebrating mass inside the Italian hospital.
“This morning Pope Francis concelebrated the Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment on the 10th floor of the Policlinico Gemelli,” the Vatican’s statement said.
The pope has been battling a series of health issues over the past month including bronchitis, double pneumonia and renal problems and has recently moved from a critical condition to stable.
Earlier in the day Francis said that he was facing a “period of trial” and he thanked many people from around the world for their prayers and assisting him with “such dedication”.
Children gather outside Rome's Gemelli hospital to pray for and be close to Pope Francis, who continues to recover from a bout of pneumonia and other health issues. pic.twitter.com/uWujsNqshR
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) March 16, 2025
The Vatican also published a video on its X account showing dozens of children gathering outside Gemelli hospital with flowers, balloons and messages to offer their support for the pope and hope that he can return to good health.
In his weekly Angelus on Sunday he reflected on his “period of trial” and urged people to think of others who are sick or undergoing challenging times in their lives.
“Our bodies are weak, but even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being shining signs of hope for one another in faith,” he said.
Francis also thanked many children for their support by attending Gemelli hospital.
“The Pope loves you,” Francis said, “and is always looking forward to meeting you.”
On the weekend the Vatican also published a statement outlining the pope’s latest health update which remains complex but some small signs of improvement.
“The clinical condition of the Holy Father remains stable, confirming the progress observed in the past week,” the statement said.
“High-flow oxygen therapy continues, progressively reducing the need for non-invasive mechanical ventilation during the night.
“The Holy Father still requires hospital medical care, as well as physiotherapy and respiratory physiotherapy.
“These therapies are currently showing further, gradual improvements”.
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