Pope Leo XIV and King Charles have bestowed honorary religious titles upon each other, the first time this has happened in 500 years according to the official website of the British Royal Family. Source: EWTN News.
“With the gracious approval of His Majesty the King, the Dean and Canons of Windsor are delighted to announce that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor,” states the text published on October 23.
The announcement highlights that both leaders sought to underscore the ties between Christian traditions, within a global context marked by polarisation and conflict.
“Mindful of the value of Christian unity, in an increasingly polarised and turbulent world, The King and The Pope have joined together in Christian brotherhood and, for the first time in half a millennium, are receiving religious titles which underscore what unites rather than what separates the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England,” the text notes.
The statement adds that this gesture represents “a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity”.
It also acknowledges the historical ties between the college and St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and the Holy See, as well as the progress made in relations between the Catholic Church, the Church of England, and the Anglican Communion.
The text notes that October marks one year since the “historic state visit to the Holy See” made by King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla. On that occasion, the British monarch was received as a “royal confrater” of the papal basilica and abbey of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. At that time, the Holy Father had already been invited to become a papal confrater of St George’s at Windsor.
Just as there is already a chair for the King of England at the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, a similar chair for the Pope will soon be unveiled in St George’s Chapel at Windsor. It will be consecrated in the European autumn, alongside a “mosaic icon of Christ of Cefalù, gifted to His Majesty by His Holiness during the State Visit,” the statement concluded.
On October 23, 2025, Pope Leo XIV and King Charles prayed together in the Sistine Chapel, marking the first time a pope and a British monarch have prayed together during a state visit to the Vatican.
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For first time in 500 years, Pope and King of England bestow religious titles on each other (By Walter Sánchez Silva·Lima, EWTN News)
