Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV addresses the Major Superiors of the Society of Jesus, urging them to remain faithful to their missionary tradition of discernment and service at the frontiers of culture, faith, and human need.

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Pope Leo XIV approves the upcoming beatification of nine Polish priests martyred at Dachau and Auschwitz; and two diocesan priests killed out of “hatred of the faith” by the Communist regime that ruled Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. The Holy Father also promulgates decrees concerning four new Venerables: a Spanish Cistercian nun, a Spanish Dominican priest, an Italian diocesan priest, and an Italian Carmelite friar.

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Pope Leo XIV welcomes faculty and students from the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, underscoring that “everywhere and always, we are called to sustain, defend, and promote the family."

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The first national safeguarding conference in the Philippines, gathering experts and leaders from across Southeast Asia, highlights the Church’s shared mission to protect minors and vulnerable persons.

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Pope Leo XIV reminds pilgrims from Estonia in Rome for the Jubilee that their ecumenical witness is the "very antithesis of the hatred that was so tragically visible during the Soviet regime’s persecution of the Church" and urges them "to pray fervently for peace" while "we still see the logic of war being perpetrated in Europe."

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Queen Camilla meets with a group of Catholic Sisters representing the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), which enables leaders of religious congregations to be a prophetic voice and witness in the Church and the world.

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Pope Leo XIV meets with participants in the Fifth World Meeting of Popular Movements, and criticizes inhuman social structures that sow death and extreme disparity.

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The Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, in the United States, underscores the need to respect the history surrounding the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre when hundreds of native Lakota people were killed by soldiers at the time, as the US Secretary of Defense announced his intention to retain the Medals of Honor awarded to the soldiers participating in the massacre.

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Father Martin Browne, an official of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, speaks to Vatican News about some of the main elements of Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III’s historic day, marked with meetings and ecumenical prayers.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV welcomed Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the Vatican for a unique visit combining ceremonial flourishes and a historic moment of prayer in the Sistine Chapel.

According to Buckingham Palace, it was the first time since the Reformation in the early 16th century that the pope and a British monarch prayed together at an ecumenical service at the Vatican.

From the moment the royal couple arrived Oct. 23 in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the high formality of the official visit was clear as a larger-than-usual contingent of Swiss Guards welcomed the king and queen, and the Vatican police band played the Vatican anthem and "God Save the King," which is the British national anthem.

After a private meeting, Pope Leo and King Charles exchanged gifts: a mosaic of Christ for the king and an icon of St. Edward the Confessor for the pope. They also gave each other framed, autographed photos of themselves.

But the two also exchanged top honors.

The king conferred on the pope the "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath," which traditionally is given to heads of state, and the pope conferred on the king the "Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Vatican Order of Pope Pius IX." Pope Leo made Queen Camilla a dame of the same order.

Their majesties originally had planned to make the visit in April in conjunction with a formal state visit to Italy. While the Italian portion of their trip went ahead as scheduled, they only went to the Vatican briefly to greet Pope Francis, who died a few weeks later. 

After the private meeting and exchange of gifts, Pope Leo and Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, the ranking prelate of the Church of England, led midday prayer in the Sistine Chapel with a focus on "care for creation."

Pope Leo and Archbishop Cottrell sat in front of the altar under Michelangelo's Last Judgment during the prayer service, while the king and queen sat slightly to one side.

Cantors from the Sistine Chapel choir were joined by adults from the choir of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and children from the choir of the Chapel Royal of St. James' Palace in London.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and Archbishop Leo Cushley of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, representing the Catholic bishops of Scotland, and the Rev. Rosie Frew, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, joined the king and queen for the prayer service.

Briefing reporters about the visit, Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, said the moments of prayer and the exchange of honors were clear signs of the progress made in Catholic-Anglican relations since the 1960s.

Pope Leo and King Charles left the Sistine Chapel together and went into the adjoining Sala Regia to meet business leaders and activists committed to fighting climate change and promoting sustainability. 

The pope personally accompanied the king back to the San Damaso Courtyard where his "Bentley State Limousine," an armored car used for formal visits, was waiting for him and the queen.

As is customary, the Vatican press office provided no information about the pope and king's private discussion.

However, in a meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, foreign minister, the press office said, "matters of common interest were discussed, such as environmental protection and the fight against poverty."

"Particular attention was given to the shared commitment to promoting peace and security in the face of global challenges," the statement said. And "recalling the history of the church in the United Kingdom, there was a shared reflection on the need to continue promoting ecumenical dialogue."

After leaving the Vatican, King Charles and Queen Camilla went to Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and walked through the Holy Door, prayed at the tomb of St. Paul and attended another prayer service. 

With the approval of Pope Leo, King Charles was recognized as a "royal confrater" of the basilica, a decision made by U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of the basilica, and Benedictine Abbot Donato Ogliari, head of the monastery of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

In return, Buckingham Palace said, "with the approval of the king, the dean and canons of the College of St. George Windsor have offered that Pope Leo XIV become 'Papal Confrater' of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and the pope has accepted."

"These mutual gifts of 'confraternity' are recognitions of spiritual fellowship and are deeply symbolic of the journey the Church of England -- of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor -- and the Roman Catholic Church have traveled over the past 500 years," the palace said in a statement.