The times King Charles III and Pope Francis have met in person over the years

In the wake of Pope Francis’ death, King Charles III has reflected fondly on the encounters he shared with the head of the Catholic Church over the years – the first of which came about as a result of their shared passion.

“The Queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years,” he wrote in a statement.

The most recent of those meetings was just two weeks ago when the King and Queen Camilla made a private 20-minute visit at the pontiff’s home Casa Santa Marta, at Vatican City.

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At the time of their visit, Pope Francis had been recuperating at home after being discharged from five weeks spent in hospital battling pneumonia. 

“We were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month,” Charles said of the visit in his statement.

Their Majesties and His Holiness reportedly shared their best wishes for each other during the brief meeting.

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Vision from the meeting shows the king and the pope smiling at each other, as Queen Camilla shook his hand – a moment of unity between the two heads of state.

Charles meets with Pope Francis at Canonisation Ceremony

Before his visit to the Vatican earlier this month, the last time Charles met with the Pope was in 2019. 

The then-Prince of Wales attended the canonisation ceremony of St John Henry Newman at the Vatican. 

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Charles represented his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, for the occasion after which he greeted Pope Francis.

During their meeting, they discussed their mutual concern for environmental issues. 

“God bless you,” Pope Francis told Charles. 

To which the then Prince responded with praises for the Pope, “A great success on your battle on the environment”.

Charles and Pope Francis’ shared passion

Throughout his career, Pope Francis advocated for action on climate change and spoke out about the importance for caring for our planet.

That may not be surprising as he was the first pontiff to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.

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Throughout his 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis regularly raised the issue of global warming and encouraged people – including world leaders – to take action. 

In 2015, Pope Francis, released his ground-breaking encyclical Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home addressed to “every person living on this planet calling for the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of environmental challenges.

In an address to a climate summit at the Vatican last year, he said, “There is a need to act with urgency, compassion and determination, since the stakes could not be higher.”

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King Charles’ life in pictures, from childhood to ruling

The late pontiff’s passion for climate action is shared by Charles. 

King Charles has upheld a long-standing commitment to environmental issues having advocated for climate action and sustainability for decades. 

In the ’70s, Charles warned of the dangers of plastic pollution and his environmental advocacy has continued ever since launching a number of sustainability measures. 

“We simply cannot waste any more time – the only limit is our willingness to act, and the time to act is now, ” he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2020.

King Charles’ first meeting with Pope Francis

It was Charles’ environmental interest that saw Charles meet with Pope Francis for the first time in 2017. 

Charles and Camilla made a trip to the Vatican where the then Prince of Wales joined a meeting on climate change at the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue. 

The royals then took a tour of the Vatican Library before meeting with Pope Francis. During their audience with the pope Charles and Camilla presented the Pope with a hamper of food from the Royal Estate at Highgrove.

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They may observe different faiths but the Anglican Charles and the late Catholic Pope Francis have shared plenty of similarities in their approach to their roles over the years. 

Their emphatic advocacy for the environment is a standout but it is not alone. Both leaders have endeavoured to make changes from within the historic institutions that they have long been a part of.

For the late Pope Francis that has looked like questioning the requirements for priests to remain celibate, acknowledging the contributions of women in the Church and speaking to economic injustice and leading a modest lifestyle in comparison to his predecessors.

For Charles, it has included streamlining the monarchy with fewer working royals, implementing sustainable changes in the palace, encouraging diversity and establishing a less formal approach while engaging with citizens.

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On Pope Francis’ passing, Charles has said that “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”.

“Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many,” he added.

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