King Charles III to meet Pope Francis during visit to Vatican next month

King Charles III is slated to person an assemblage with Pope Francis during a sojourn to the Vatican adjacent month, suggesting determination is optimism the pontiff volition beryllium backmost astatine enactment by then, arsenic helium continues his betterment from treble pneumonia.

Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital connected Feb. 14 aft a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors archetypal diagnosed the analyzable viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract corruption and subsequently the onset of pneumonia successful some lungs.

The Vatican said Monday it would nary longer supply greeting updates and is issuing little predominant aesculapian bulletins arsenic the pope shows gradual improvements.

Buckingham Palace said Charles wrote privately to the pope erstwhile helium became ill.

POPE FRANCIS SEEN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE BEING ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL: PHOTO

King Charles III is acceptable to person an assemblage with Pope Francis during a sojourn to the Vatican adjacent month. (Mark Cuthbert)

Charles' sojourn to the Vatican is symbolic of efforts to found person ties betwixt the Catholic Church and the Church of England, which divided from Rome successful the 16th period during King Henry VIII's reign.

The caput of the Church of England, Charles has made gathering bridges betwixt radical of each faiths a apical absorption since helium ascended the throne successful 2022 pursuing the decease of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles’ travel volition statesman connected April 7 and past 3 days. It volition besides diagnostic events successful Italy including its superior of Rome, which surrounds Vatican City.

During his halt successful Rome, Charles volition stress the adjacent links betwixt Britain and Italy — 2 NATO allies — arsenic European nations are moving to fortify enactment for Ukraine’s warfare against Russia.

POPE REMAINS STABLE AFTER MONTH IN HOSPITAL AS HE CONTINUES TREATMENTS AND WORKS FROM BEDSIDE

Pope Francis celebrating wide connected Sunday, March 16, 2025, successful his chapel astatine the Gemelli Hospital successful Rome, Italy. ( Holy See Press Office)

There volition beryllium a associated flypast implicit Rome during Charles' sojourn by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, oregon Tricolor Arrows, and their Royal Air Force counterparts, the Red Arrows.

Charles and Queen Camilla volition be a reception successful Ravenna, successful the Emilia-Romagna portion of bluish Italy, to people the 80th day of the region’s liberation from the Nazis by Allied forces. The brace volition besides observe section cuisine and conscionable with farmers impacted by caller floods successful the area.

"The sojourn to Italy volition underscore the extent and breadth of the bilateral relationship," Buckingham Palace said successful a statement.

One cardinal lawsuit during Charles’ travel to the Vatican volition beryllium a historical archetypal successful which the king volition sojourn the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, wherever reconciliation and ecumenical relations betwixt Christian faiths are celebrated. At this event, choirs from the King’s Chapel Royal, St. George’s Chapel astatine Windsor Castle and the Sistine Chapel volition perform.

Buckingham Palace said King Charles III wrote privately to the pope erstwhile helium became ill. (Getty Images)

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English kings had a peculiar nexus to the basilica anterior to the divided from Rome during the Protestant Reformation. The basilica was built implicit a achromatic marble sarcophagus that, for immoderate 2,000 years, has been believed to beryllium the tomb of St. Paul.

Charles' sojourn volition hap during the Papal Jubilee, a twelvemonth of forgiveness and reconciliation that is celebrated by the Catholic Church each 25 years.

"The Visit to the Holy See volition beryllium an historical sojourn successful the twelvemonth of the Papal Jubilee, and volition people a important measurement guardant successful relations betwixt the Catholic Church and Church of England," Buckingham Palace said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.