00:00King Charles and Queen Camilla met Pope Leo XIV
00:03for the first time on Thursday here in the Vatican.
00:06We know that both the King and the Queen
00:08were here last April,
00:10but they weren't able to have a private audience
00:12with Pope Francis given his health condition.
00:14So the meeting really stands
00:16as a symbolic display of unity
00:18between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.
00:20The two met the Pope at his Apostolic Palace,
00:23his residence, for less than an hour
00:25at around 11 a.m. local time.
00:28He also got the chance to meet with the Vatican's
00:30Secretary of State, Parolin,
00:32before joining the Pope for a public prayer service
00:35held in the Sistine Chapel,
00:37led both by the Pope and the Archbishop of York
00:41in both English and Latin.
00:43And these marks the very first time in 500 years
00:46that a British monarch and the pontiff have come together
00:49for such a moment of reflection.
00:52Later on, as part of the state visit,
00:54the King was also made a royal comforter
00:57of the Abbey of St. Paul outside the walls.
01:00One of Rome's major,
01:02one of Rome's four major papal basilicas
01:05that has a strong connection to the British monarchy.
01:08And the title acknowledges strong ties
01:11between the King and the Roman Catholic Church.
01:15And of course, the state visit is also being carried out
01:20on behalf of the British government
01:22with the aim to foster diplomatic alignment
01:24on a number of shared issues,
01:26such as achieving peace around the world
01:28and protecting the environment.
01:30Giorgio Orlandi for Euronews in the Vatican.
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