CV NEWS FEED // King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom met privately with Pope Francis during an April 9 visit to the Vatican that coincided with their 20th wedding anniversary and the fourth anniversary of the death of Prince Philip.
The audience took place at Casa Santa Marta, the Pope’s residence inside the Vatican, where he has been convalescing for more than two weeks following his release from Gemelli Hospital, Vatican News reported. Despite his recent health challenges, Pope Francis has resumed meetings, including Wednesday’s private visit with the British monarchs.
According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, “In the course of the meeting, the Pope expressed his best wishes to Their Majesties on the occasion of their wedding anniversary and reciprocated His Majesty’s wishes for a speedy recovery of his health,” a reference to the King’s recent cancer treatment.
The royal couple had previously expressed their intention to meet with the Pope as part of a scheduled trip to Rome, but their plans were put on hold due to the pontiff’s illness, according to Vatican News.
Their rescheduled audience comes just days before another prominent Catholic political leader is set to visit Rome.
According to an April 4 report from The Times, U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set for a three-day trip to the Eternal City over Easter weekend. The visit has been confirmed by Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, according to The Times.
Vance would arrive on Good Friday and depart on Easter Sunday. However, the dates were not officially confirmed at the time of publication. The Times also reported that a meeting between Vance and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is likely to take place April 19.
Though no formal plans for a papal visit have been disclosed, the vice president has spoken publicly in recent weeks about Pope Francis’ health, telling attendees at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington that he prays daily for the Holy Father’s recovery.
“I say a prayer for the Holy Father,” Vance said, “because while yes, I was certainly surprised when he criticized our immigration policy in the way that he has, I believe that the Pope is fundamentally a person who cares about the flock of Christians under his leadership, and he’s a man who cares about the spiritual direction of the faith.”
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