Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III of the United Kingdom prayed together beneath Michelangelo’s fresco The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. It was the first time in 500 years that the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the supreme governor of the Church of England prayed together. The solemn ceremony was broadcast live by Vatican News.

King Charles III was accompanied by Queen Camilla. The prayer was recited in English and Latin. The royal couple arrived in the Vatican on a state visit, which had originally been scheduled for April but was postponed due to the poor health of the previous pontiff, Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21.

The official program also includes another ecumenical service at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

In 1534, the English Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring Henry VIII (and his successors) the only supreme head of the Church of England. This marked the formal break with the Roman Catholic Church, which had refused to annul Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon—an event that triggered the English Reformation.