London: King Charles III is set to have an audience with Pope Francis during a state visit to the Vatican next month. This suggests the Holy See is optimistic that the pontiff will have recovered from double pneumonia by then, barring any setbacks.

The tentative audience was included in details of the British monarch’s visit to the Vatican and Italy, released on Tuesday by Buckingham Palace. State visits are always arranged in close consultation with the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

The palace confirmed that Charles wrote privately to the pope when he was taken ill. Francis, 88, has been hospitalised since 14 February. With gradual improvements, the Vatican announced on Monday that it had suspended daily medical updates and would now issue less frequent bulletins. The next one is not expected before Wednesday.

Strengthening ties between churches

The visit to the Vatican is symbolic of efforts to build closer ties between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. The two churches split in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII. Charles, as head of the Church of England, has prioritised building bridges between different faiths since ascending the throne two and a half years ago.

Three-day trip to Italy

Charles’ three-day trip begins on 7 April and includes events in Italy and its capital, Rome, which surrounds Vatican City.

In Rome, the king will highlight the close relationship between Britain and Italy, two NATO allies, at a time when European nations are strengthening support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. A joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and their Royal Air Force counterparts, the Red Arrows, will mark the visit.

The king and queen will also attend a reception in Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, to mark the 80th anniversary of the region’s liberation from the Nazis by Allied forces on 10 April 1945. The visit will also celebrate the cuisine of the Emilia-Romagna region, and the royals will meet with local farmers affected by recent floods.

“The visit to Italy will underscore the depth and breadth of the bilateral relationship,” the palace said in a statement.

Historic visit to St Paul’s outside the walls

One of the key events of Charles’ visit to the Vatican will be a historic first: as supreme governor of the Church of England, he will visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls. This basilica is a site of reconciliation and ecumenical relations between Christian faiths. Choirs from the King’s Chapel Royal, St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Sistine Chapel will perform.

Before the Protestant Reformation and the split from Rome, English kings had a special connection to the basilica. The church was built over a white marble sarcophagus, which has been believed for nearly 2,000 years to be the tomb of St Paul.

Visit during the Papal Jubilee

The visit coincides with the Papal Jubilee, a year of forgiveness and reconciliation celebrated by the Catholic Church every 25 years.

“The visit to the Holy See will be an historic visit in the year of the Papal Jubilee, and will mark a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England,” the palace said.

AP