Pope Leo XIV accepts rare honorary title from King Charles days after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV accepts rare honorary title from King Charles days after lung cancer surgery King Charles and Pope Leo made history in 2025 when they prayed together in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel in a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics across the globe Pope Leo XIV has accepted an honorary title reflecting a "shared desire for Christian unity" between him and the King, Buckingham Palace has said. The Dean and Canons of Windsor have announced Pope Leo XIV, has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George's Chapel, Windsor. Charles and the Queen met the Pope last year during a state visit to the Vatican. On that trip, the King was welcomed as Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul's Outside the Walls. On Friday, Buckingham Palace said: "This act of confraternity represents a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity. "It recognises both the centuries-old relationship between the College and Chapel of St George, Windsor and the Holy See, and the progress in relations between the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. "It also reflects the deep mutual esteem between His Holiness and His Majesty and their shared desire for Christian unity." To mark these signs of confraternity, specially commissioned chairs have been created for the two religious sites. The chair presented to the King sits next to the monastic stalls in St Paul's Outside the Walls, and a corresponding chair for the Pope will be unveiled at St George's Chapel in Windsor in due course. Meanwhile, the Pope will miss a planned trip to Assisi next week as he continues recovering from thoracic surgery. He was due to attend an event on October 27 to mark the 40th anniversary of St John Paul II's World Day of Prayer for Peace. The Pope's health condition was confirmed earlier this month after the Vatican said he had undergone a "successful" planned surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. Lung adenocarcinoma is a common type of lung cancer. Charles and Leo made history in 2025 when they prayed together in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel in a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics across the globe. It was the first time a British monarch, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, had prayed at a public service with the Pope, head of the Catholic Church, since the Reformation.