logo
King and Queen express deep sadness at death of Pope after moving meeting

King and Queen express deep sadness at death of Pope after moving meeting

The couple's historic state visit to the Vatican in early April was cancelled because of the Pope's poor health, but they managed to visit the head of the Roman Catholic Church privately during their trip to Italy.
The King, in an official message released following the news of the pontiff's death on Monday, said he and Camilla were 'most deeply saddened'.
He praised Pope Francis for his compassion and tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith.
The King's message following the death of Pope Francis. pic.twitter.com/tnwvSoXcMh
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2025
The Union flag will be flown half-mast at royal residences where Charles is not in residence as a mark of respect and in accordance with Government guidance.
Sombre music will played at the Changing the Guard ceremony to reflect 'the sadness of the occasion', a royal source said.
A member of the royal family is expected to attend the Pope's funeral, if the Vatican is in agreement, but it is too early to say who will travel to pay their respects.
Pope Francis tours St Peter's Square in his Popemobile on Easter Sunday (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
Royal engagements are likely to continue as planned, but will take into account any sensitivities regarding tone in the wake of Francis's death.
The King said: 'My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis.
'Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.
'His Holiness will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others.
A nun prays in Westminster Cathedral in central London following the announcement of the death of Pope Francis (James Manning/PA)
'His belief that care for Creation is an existential expression of faith in God resounded with so many across the world.
'Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many.
'The Queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years and we were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month.
'We send our most heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy to the Church he served with such resolve and to the countless people around the world who, inspired by his life, will be mourning the devastating loss of this faithful follower of Jesus Christ.'
Che occasione speciale!
A special moment for Their Majesties as they privately met His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday.
The King and Queen were deeply touched by The Pope's kind remarks about their 20th wedding anniversary and honoured to be able to share their… pic.twitter.com/5WAZu9nN5q
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 10, 2025
Charles and Camilla's meeting with the Pope in what would be his final weeks was arranged at the last minute and took place on their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9, with the pontiff wanting to personally wish them a happy anniversary.
A senior Palace official said afterwards: 'I think outside of the official programme, the most significant and indeed moving thing was that visit to the Pope.
'We didn't know until the last minute that it would be possible. But when the Pope asked if he could see the King and Queen, Their Majesties were clearly very pleased; after all, they have known him over many years and, with the rest of the world, have been praying for his recovery.
'The Pope wanted personally to wish them a happy anniversary, not least because it hadn't been possible to do the state visit on this occasion.
'Their Majesties both came away feeling that it had been a very significant and special moment.'
Charles and Camilla met Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2017 (Tim Rooke/PA)
Twenty years ago, Charles and Camilla's marriage ceremony was postponed with just four days to go following the death of Pope John Paul II.
The then-Prince of Wales put duty first and his wedding date was moved from April 8 to April 9 2005 because it clashed with the pope's funeral.
Charles represented the late Queen by travelling to Rome to attend the service, alongside more than 100 world leaders and ended up shaking hands with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.
The then-archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who was due to conduct the prince's blessing in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after his civil ceremony had made it clear he wished to break with tradition and attend the pope's funeral.
Charles and Camilla were finally married on April 9 2005 in a civil ceremony, followed by a blessing the same day (Reuters/Pool/PA)
The 24-hour postponement of the royal wedding from the Friday to the Saturday meant Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles's civil wedding had to be slotted in ahead of three other weddings already taking place at the Guildhall in Windsor.
The King met Pope Francis twice as the Prince of Wales, but the visit in April was his first as monarch and head of the Church of England.
The pair are said to have had huge respect for one another.
Queen Elizabeth II with Pope Francis look at a papal gift to Prince George as they met at the Vatican in 2014 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, the Pope sent his 'heartfelt condolences' to Charles, the new sovereign, in a telegram.
He said he joined all in mourning her loss and paid tribute to 'her life of unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith'.
The late Queen met Pope Francis in 2014 at the Vatican, when he gave her eight-month-old great-grandson Prince George a lapis lazuli orb decorated with a silver cross of Edward the Confessor, the 11th century English king who was made a saint.
The Queen gave the Pope a hamper full of produce from royal estates including honey from Buckingham Palace and Balmoral whisky.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall during an audience with Pope Francis in 2017 (Tim Rooke/PA)
Charles and Pope Francis first met in 2017, when the prince and Camilla were received at a papal audience in the Vatican at the end of a European tour.
The Pope urged Charles to work to bring peace in the world, telling him 'Wherever you go, may you be a man of peace', with the prince replying 'I'll do my best'.
They exchanged gifts, with the prince giving the pontiff a large hamper of produce from his Highgrove estate for the poor and the homeless and framed photographs of himself and his wife.
The Pope presented him with a bronze olive branch, signifying peace, and copies of his writings on climate change bound in red leather and other papal writings.
Charles and Camilla during their audience with the Pope (Tim Rooke/PA)
Francis's reputation as a pope with the 'common touch' and a taste for simple living saw him dispense with some of the formality and trappings of his position.
In keeping with the relaxed nature of the meeting, Camilla did not wear black or a mantilla, a lace veil, in 2017 as she did when the royal couple met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, but opted for a gold silk Anna Valentine dress.
But both the King and Queen were dressed in black as a traditional mark of respect when they met the Pope in April.
In 2019, Charles travelled solo to the Vatican and met Pope Francis ahead of the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman at an open-air Mass in St Peter's Square.
The Prince of Wales attends a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis for the canonisation of Cardinal Newman in St Peter's Square, Vatican City, in October 2019 (Alamy/PA)
The King is Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
The role dates back to Henry VIII, who named himself Supreme Head of the Church of England after he was excommunicated by the pope, Pope Paul III, and broke from the Catholic Church in the 16th century to marry Anne Boleyn.
A nine-day mourning period will begin in honour of Francis, with his funeral in around four to six days' time after his body lies in state in St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Italy also usually declares a period of national mourning.
Two to three weeks later, the conclave to elect a new pope convenes, with the College of Cardinals locked inside the the Sistine Chapel to vote in secret four times a day until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority, with a white smoke signal released through a chimney to announce a pope has been chosen.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Claire Hughes MP was gifted ticket to the BAFTA Games Awards
Claire Hughes MP was gifted ticket to the BAFTA Games Awards

North Wales Chronicle

time18 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Claire Hughes MP was gifted ticket to the BAFTA Games Awards

Ms Hughes, who was elected last July, has declared the ticket on her register of financial interests. This states that, on April 8, the UK Interactive Entertainment Association Ltd gifted the ticket, valued at £700, which she accepted the same day. The BAFTA Games Awards, which were this year held on April 8 and hosted by comedian Phil Wang, celebrates achievements in the video game industry in the last 12 months. Ms Hughes' Labour colleague, Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols, was also gifted hospitality at the event, also worth £700. Ms Nichols stated in her own register of financial interests that this was 'in my capacity as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on video games and e-sports". Ms Hughes is not a member of this APPG. All of the other items on Ms Hughes' register of financial interests date back to last year. These include a £10,000 donation from Labour Together Ltd, which was 'to support campaign activities leading up to the general election'. Ms Hughes was approached for further comment by the Pioneer. She posted on her Facebook page this afternoon: "Wales is starting to become a significant player in the global gaming landscape. But I want North Wales to have a much bigger slice of the pie. "At the start of Easter recess, I attended the BAFTA Games Awards celebrating the best of the UK games industry with UK Interactive Entertainment. "I'm not a gamer myself. As someone who previously worked in the sector, though, I recognise the massive value of the sector and opportunity for growth; the video games sector is bigger than the music and film sectors combined, contributing almost £7bn a year to UK GVA. "Recent growth in video games in Wales is thanks partly to support from Welsh Government including the Games Scale Up Fund for Wales, which last week announced a total of £850,000 funding support for Wales-based developers via Creative Wales. "But with the creative industries highlighted as one of the key growth areas in the UK Government's upcoming Industrial Strategy, we could be doing much more to encourage young people to consider a career in immersive entertainment, and to support up-and-coming businesses to thrive. "We have brilliant opportunities for people to gain the skills to build a career in the industry in our area - Coleg Llandrillo have long offered highly respected courses in 3D arts and games development, and the recent investment in a state-of-the-art new campus in Bangor makes it clear the Welsh Government is serious about putting pounds behind promises. "I hope that in future years, we will see games made in Wales featured at the gaming BAFTAs. More than that, though - I want more young people in Bangor Aberconwy knowing that a career in video games is up for grabs. "I'll be doing more on this over the summer, including workshops for school-leavers and an industry roundtable. If this is something you're interested in being part of, get in touch."

Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals
Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals

North Wales Chronicle

time18 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals

High-profile cases such as that of serial abuser John Smyth and the subsequent Makin Review which prompted the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, are said to 'undermine public confidence' in how seriously safeguarding is taken. The annual report from the Church Commissioners for England – which manages the Church's investment portfolio – described their reputational risk as currently being 'at an elevated level'. The Makin review, the commissioners said, 'gave rise to serious questions about safeguarding practice in the Church of England'. The commissioners' report, published on Monday, added: 'This case and other safeguarding failures undermine public confidence in the assertions made by the Church, including the Church Commissioners, about the importance of, and priority given to, safeguarding. 'The potential reputational impacts could be far-reaching; for example, they may in turn make it more difficult for us to attract and retain staff.' The warning came as Church Commissioners announced they would be investing more than £1.6 billion towards the work of the Church from 2026 to 2028. Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally said the 36% rise on the previous three-year period was 'the biggest injection of funding towards the work of the Church of England in our history, and we are very grateful for that'. The money will go towards various areas including clergy pay, church repairs and net zero plans. Some £30 million is being allocated towards the cost of national safeguarding work, including moves towards greater independence in how safeguarding is dealt with. Some £150 million towards the costs of the new national redress scheme for survivors of Church abuse had already been announced. In his foreword to the report, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell acknowledged the 'challenging year' the Church had faced. The commissioners noted there was also an element of reputational risk around the Church's work on dealing with its past links to slavery, saying such work had already 'attracted significant attention, comment and, in some cases, criticism'. Their latest report warned: 'Further reaction (including negative comment) to this programme of work is expected when the intended new Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice is launched, making investments andissuing grants.' The Church announced in January 2023 its work to address historic links to slavery, with a funding programme for investment, research and engagement to 'address past wrongs' but the initial £100 million investment fund was branded too small and slow. An independent oversight group later said commissioners had 'embraced a target of £1 billion for a broader healing, repair and justice initiative with the fund at its centre'. Elsewhere, some of the overall £1.6 billion investment announced on Monday is to go towards clergy pay rises of almost 11%. The Church said the National Minimum Stipend (NMS) and the National Stipend Benchmark (NSB) will both rise by 10.7% from April, bring them to £33,350 and £34,950 respectively. Dame Sarah said the latest investment will 'value and affirm our clergy who give their lives in the service of Christ through the Church'. She said: 'I hope these carefully costed plans will provide a step-change in support to clergy right the way through from those following a call to ordination to those who have retired. 'It is vital also that we learn the lessons of our recent past and do everything we can to be a safer church for everyone. 'While no amount of money can ever erase the harm done by perpetrators of abuse, these spending plans will support the vital work of safeguarding in the Church and underpin the new National Redress scheme.' To aid the Church's ambition to be 'net zero' by 2030, the commissioners said have earmarked up to £190 million up to 2031 for projects including decarbonising cathedrals, churches, church halls, schools andhouses. The report admits it is 'unlikely that cathedrals will achieve net zero carbon by 2030 without some form of carbon offset, but we are working with the community to help reduce emissions as much as possible'. The commissioners add that the latest investment will go towards preventing 'a 'cliff-edge' after the 2030 target date set by Synod, enabling work to limit carbon emissions to continue to receive support'. Meanwhile, the report noted dozens of repair projects had been funded by commissioners to the value of £1.3 million last year, with a rise in instances of Church ceilings which appeared to have been damaged through lack of ventilation when the buildings were closed during the Covid-19 lockdowns. It said there had been 'an increase in the numbers of failed lath and plaster ceilings due to weakened plaster' which it said was 'likely to have been exacerbated by condensation forming due to the lack of ventilation when churches were closed for prolonged periods during the pandemic'. First Church Estates Commissioner, Alan Smith, said: 'This distribution of £1.6 billion represents the highest distribution in the Church's history – and we celebrate all those who have made it possible across the entire community of the Church, in particular the investments team, clergy and parishes. 'In stewarding these resources, we must be humble and vigilant, as the times ahead promise both great opportunities and challenges.'

Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals
Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals

Leader Live

time21 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals

High-profile cases such as that of serial abuser John Smyth and the subsequent Makin Review which prompted the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, are said to 'undermine public confidence' in how seriously safeguarding is taken. The annual report from the Church Commissioners for England – which manages the Church's investment portfolio – described their reputational risk as currently being 'at an elevated level'. The Makin review, the commissioners said, 'gave rise to serious questions about safeguarding practice in the Church of England'. The commissioners' report, published on Monday, added: 'This case and other safeguarding failures undermine public confidence in the assertions made by the Church, including the Church Commissioners, about the importance of, and priority given to, safeguarding. 'The potential reputational impacts could be far-reaching; for example, they may in turn make it more difficult for us to attract and retain staff.' The warning came as Church Commissioners announced they would be investing more than £1.6 billion towards the work of the Church from 2026 to 2028. Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally said the 36% rise on the previous three-year period was 'the biggest injection of funding towards the work of the Church of England in our history, and we are very grateful for that'. The money will go towards various areas including clergy pay, church repairs and net zero plans. Some £30 million is being allocated towards the cost of national safeguarding work, including moves towards greater independence in how safeguarding is dealt with. Some £150 million towards the costs of the new national redress scheme for survivors of Church abuse had already been announced. In his foreword to the report, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell acknowledged the 'challenging year' the Church had faced. The commissioners noted there was also an element of reputational risk around the Church's work on dealing with its past links to slavery, saying such work had already 'attracted significant attention, comment and, in some cases, criticism'. Their latest report warned: 'Further reaction (including negative comment) to this programme of work is expected when the intended new Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice is launched, making investments andissuing grants.' The Church announced in January 2023 its work to address historic links to slavery, with a funding programme for investment, research and engagement to 'address past wrongs' but the initial £100 million investment fund was branded too small and slow. An independent oversight group later said commissioners had 'embraced a target of £1 billion for a broader healing, repair and justice initiative with the fund at its centre'. Elsewhere, some of the overall £1.6 billion investment announced on Monday is to go towards clergy pay rises of almost 11%. The Church said the National Minimum Stipend (NMS) and the National Stipend Benchmark (NSB) will both rise by 10.7% from April, bring them to £33,350 and £34,950 respectively. Dame Sarah said the latest investment will 'value and affirm our clergy who give their lives in the service of Christ through the Church'. She said: 'I hope these carefully costed plans will provide a step-change in support to clergy right the way through from those following a call to ordination to those who have retired. 'It is vital also that we learn the lessons of our recent past and do everything we can to be a safer church for everyone. 'While no amount of money can ever erase the harm done by perpetrators of abuse, these spending plans will support the vital work of safeguarding in the Church and underpin the new National Redress scheme.' To aid the Church's ambition to be 'net zero' by 2030, the commissioners said have earmarked up to £190 million up to 2031 for projects including decarbonising cathedrals, churches, church halls, schools andhouses. The report admits it is 'unlikely that cathedrals will achieve net zero carbon by 2030 without some form of carbon offset, but we are working with the community to help reduce emissions as much as possible'. The commissioners add that the latest investment will go towards preventing 'a 'cliff-edge' after the 2030 target date set by Synod, enabling work to limit carbon emissions to continue to receive support'. Meanwhile, the report noted dozens of repair projects had been funded by commissioners to the value of £1.3 million last year, with a rise in instances of Church ceilings which appeared to have been damaged through lack of ventilation when the buildings were closed during the Covid-19 lockdowns. It said there had been 'an increase in the numbers of failed lath and plaster ceilings due to weakened plaster' which it said was 'likely to have been exacerbated by condensation forming due to the lack of ventilation when churches were closed for prolonged periods during the pandemic'. First Church Estates Commissioner, Alan Smith, said: 'This distribution of £1.6 billion represents the highest distribution in the Church's history – and we celebrate all those who have made it possible across the entire community of the Church, in particular the investments team, clergy and parishes. 'In stewarding these resources, we must be humble and vigilant, as the times ahead promise both great opportunities and challenges.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store