King Charles and Queen Camilla met privately with the Pope yesterday, having earlier postponed their official state visit to the Vatican because of the pontiff’s health, the Vatican press office said. Source: OSV News.
The Pope congratulated the royal couple on the 20th anniversary of their wedding and “reciprocated His Majesty’s wishes for a speedy recovery of his health”, the press office said.
King Charles was hospitalised briefly on March 27 for what was described as “temporary side effects” from his cancer treatment. Pope Francis has been convalescing at the Vatican since being released from the hospital on March 23 after more than five weeks of inpatient treatment for breathing difficulties, double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection in his airways.
While the press office confirmed the meeting yesterday, it said no photos would be released until today.
The Vatican press office said on Tuesday that the Pope was beginning to receive a few visitors rather than spending his days only with his personal secretaries and the medical personnel caring for him.
The King and Queen’s brief meeting with the Pope yesterday was very different from the full schedule that had been planned for their state visit.
In addition to an audience with the Pope, they would have attended “a service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of ‘care for creation’, reflecting Pope Francis’ and His Majesty’s long-standing commitment to nature,” according to the itinerary originally released by Buckingham Palace.
Members of the choir of the King’s Chapel Royal and the choir of St George’s Chapel from Windsor were to sing at the service with the Sistine Chapel Choir.
While he was still the Prince of Wales, the King last met Pope Francis in 2019 when he came to the Vatican for the canonisation of St John Henry Newman. His last private audience with Pope Francis was in 2017.
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King Charles, Queen Camilla meet Pope Francis at the Vatican (By Cindy Wooden, OSV News)
