Buckingham Palace has announced the State Visit to The Holy See which was due to take place next month has been ‘postponed by mutual agreement’ to allow Pope Francis to benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation after experiencing a period of illness.
The King was due to meet The Pope. (Clarence House)
The full statement from Buckingham Palace read as follows:
‘The King and Queen’s State Visit to The Holy See has been postponed by mutual agreement, as medical advice has now suggested that Pope Francis would benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation.
Their Majesties send The Pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered.’
Image Licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 12/05/2022. London, United Kingdom. Prince Charles and Camilla during a visit to Canada House in London. Picture by i-Images / Pool
The State visit to the Holy See would have seen The King and Queen join Pope Francis in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year. Traditionally held once every 25 years, the Jubilee is a special year for the Catholic Church; a year of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
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. ‘St Paul’s Outside the Walls’ is recognised as the Papal Basilica where reconciliation, ecumenism and relationships across the Christian faith are celebrated. Members of the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and the Choir of St. George’s Chapel, would have performed in both the Sistine Chapel and at ‘St Paul’s Outside the Walls’. In the Sistine Chapel, they will be accompanied by the Sistine Chapel Choir.
The King would have also attended a reception with Seminarians from across the Commonwealth and the British Vatican community. Meanwhile, Her Majesty would have met Catholic Sisters from The International Union of Superiors General, who are working around the world at grassroots level to promote female empowerment, through girls’ education programmes, improved access to healthcare, climate action and the prevention of sexual violence and human trafficking.
