by Ashraf Oluwatobiloba, Kaduna.
Britain’s King Charles III will continue with his planned state visit to the Vatican in early April, despite Pope Francis’s ongoing battle with pneumonia. Buckingham Palace confirmed on Tuesday that the visit, which is scheduled for April 8, will go ahead as planned. King Charles, the head of the Church of England, will meet with his Catholic counterpart, Pope Francis, provided that the pontiff’s health permits it.
A Buckingham Palace source expressed well wishes for Pope Francis’s recovery, stating, “Our hopes and prayers are with Pope Francis for his health to improve and allow the visit to take place.” The pope, who is 88 years old, has been hospitalized for over a month at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. King Charles had previously written to the pope to offer his support during this time.
Charles will be accompanied by his wife, Camilla, on this official visit to Italy and the Holy See, which will take place from April 7 to April 10. This will mark King Charles’s first visit to both Italy and the Vatican as the reigning monarch. After his meeting with Pope Francis, the king is scheduled to meet with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella. Notably, King Charles will become the first British monarch to address a sitting of the Italian parliament during this trip.
The king’s upcoming visit comes after his health struggles in 2024, including a cancer diagnosis revealed in February. Despite these challenges, the 76-year-old monarch resumed his international travels in October.
King Charles’s last visit to the Vatican took place in 2019, where he also met Pope Francis. His upcoming visit holds significant historical context, given the long history of the Church of England’s split from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
The Palace has expressed hopes for Pope Francis’s swift recovery so that the visit can take place as planned, with the king eager to strengthen ties between the British monarchy and the Vatican.
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