Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King has written privately to the pontiff since he was admitted to hospital in February, and the historic gathering is still scheduled to take place in early April
The King and Queen’s planned state visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis will go ahead despite his continuing ill health. The palace confirmed that King Charles has written privately to the pontiff since he was admitted to hospital in February, and the historic gathering is still scheduled to take place in Rome in early April.
A Buckingham Palace source said they had shared “our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’s health will enable the visit to go ahead”, although they signalled that alterations would be made to the visit if needed.
Outlining details of the planned meeting, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “On Tuesday 8 April, and clearly subject to Pope Francis’s health, their majesties will visit the Holy See to join Pope Francis in celebrating the 2025 jubilee. “Held traditionally once every 25 years, the jubilee is a special year for the Catholic Church; a year of reconciliation, prayer and walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, which is the jubilee’s theme. The King and Queen will have an audience with Pope Francis. Their Majesties will also attend a service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of ‘care for creation’, reflecting Pope Francis’s and His Majesty’s long-standing commitment to nature.”
The tour, from 7 to 10 April, will include two state visits to Rome and Ravenna in Italy, and the Holy See – the government of the Roman Catholic Church – in the Vatican. Charles will pass two milestones, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the resting place of St Paul since the reformation, and address both houses of Italy’s parliament.
The King will hold audiences with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the monarch and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale. At the weekend, the Vatican released the first photograph of the Pope since he was admitted to hospital on 14 February with a severe case of bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia. Medical staff said last week that the pontiff, 88, was no longer in a critical, life-threatening condition, but added that his condition remained complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man.
Other highlights of the April trip will see the UK and Italy’s defence co-operation recognised by a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.
In Ravenna, near Bologna, Charles and Camilla will mark the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied forces on 10 April 1945, during a town hall reception. The couple will also mark their 20th wedding anniversary on 9 April.
Meanwhile, the Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis at the chapel in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since his hospitalisation on February 14.
In the image, the 88-year-old Pope is seen wearing a stole, a vestment worn while concelebrating Mass. Pope Francis has been battling pneumonia at the hospital in Rome, CNN reported.
According to the Vatican, the Pope continued his treatment and did not have any visitors. In the text of his weekly Angelus prayer that was sent in advance to the press, Francis thanked well-wishers for their prayers as he faces what he calls a “period of trial,” as reported by CNN.
Dozens of children gathered outside the hospital to show their support for the Pope.
“I thank you all for your prayers, and I thank those who assist me with such dedication. I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to ‘Gemelli’ as a sign of closeness. Thank you, dearest children! The Pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you,” Pope Francis said in the text. “Let us continue to pray for peace, especially in the countries wounded by war: tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the Pope added.
Last week, the Pope sent a telegram expressing his prayers and closeness to those who have experienced deadly flooding in the Argentinian port city of Bahia Blanca as well as the nearby city of Cerri. In his message, Pope Francis expressed his sadness for the natural disaster affecting the region surrounding Bahia Blanca, which, he acknowledged, claimed many lives and caused massive damage. “I offer fervent prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased. I wish to express my spiritual closeness to the entire population, beseeching the Lord to grant comfort to the bereaved and to all those who are suffering in these moments of pain and uncertainty,” and prayed the Lord also “sustain with His grace” all those committed to searching for the missing and undertaking “the arduous process of rebuilding the devastated areas.”
