00:00King Charles and Queen Camilla met Pope Leo XIV for the first time on Thursday here in
00:05the Vatican.
00:06We know that both the King and the Queen were here last April, but they weren't able to
00:10have a private audience with Pope Francis given his health condition.
00:14So the meeting really stands as a symbolic display of unity between the Church of England
00:19and the Roman Catholic Church.
00:20The two met the Pope at his Apostolic Palace, his residence, for less than an hour at around
00:2511 a.m. local time.
00:27They also got the chance to meet with the Vatican's Secretary of State, Parolin, before joining
00:32the Pope for a public prayer service held in the Sistine Chapel, led both by the Pope and
00:40the Archbishop of York in both English and Latin.
00:43And these marks the very first time in 500 years that a British monarch and the pontiff
00:48have come together for such a moment of reflection.
00:52Later on, as part of the state visit, the King was also made a royal comforter of the
00:57abbey of St. Paul outside the walls, one of Rome's major, one of Rome's four major
01:04papal basilicas that has a strong connection to the British monarchy.
01:08And the title acknowledges strong ties between the King and the Roman Catholic Church.
01:15And of course, the state visit is also being carried out on behalf of the British government,
01:22with the aim to foster diplomatic alignment on a number of shared issues, such as achieving
01:27peace around the world and protecting the environment.
01:31Giorgio Orlandi for Euronews in the Vatican.
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