00:00King Charles and Queen Camilla met Pope Leo XIV for the first time on Thursday here in the Vatican.
00:06The meeting really stands as a symbolic display of unity between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.
00:12The two met the Pope at his Apostolic Palace, his residence, for less than an hour at around 11am local time.
00:19They also got the chance to meet with the Vatican's Secretary of State, Parolin,
00:23before joining the Pope for a public prayer service held in the Sistine Chapel,
00:29led both by the Pope and the Archbishop of York in both English and Latin.
00:35And these marks the very first time in 500 years that a British monarch and the pontiff have come together for such a moment of reflection.
00:44Later on, as part of the state visit, the king was also made a royal comforter of the abbey of St. Paul outside the walls.
00:52One of Rome's four major papal basilicas that has a strong connection to the British monarchy.
01:00And the title acknowledges strong ties between the king and the Roman Catholic Church.
01:07And of course, the state visit is also being carried out on behalf of the British government
01:13with the aim to foster diplomatic alignment on a number of shared issues,
01:18such as achieving peace around the world and protecting the environment.
01:22Giorgio Orlandi for Euronews in the Vatican.
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