Pope Leo XIV has accepted an invitation to become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at Windsor Castle, following King Charles III’s approval, in a move highlighting growing friendship between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.
The Dean and Canons of Windsor announced the appointment on Friday, 23 October, describing it as “a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity”.
The appointment recognises the historic relationship between St George’s Chapel and the Holy See, as well as efforts to strengthen relations between the Catholic Church, the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion.
It also reflects the mutual esteem between Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III and their shared desire to promote Christian unity.
The appointment follows a similar gesture during King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s State Visit to the Holy See in October 2025, when Pope Leo XIV approved the King’s appointment as Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome.
The reciprocal appointments are intended to highlight what unites the two Christian traditions despite their historic separation following the Reformation under King Henry VIII.
“Mindful of the value of Christian unity, in an increasingly polarised and turbulent world, the King and the Pope have joined together in Christian brotherhood and, for the first time in half a millennium, are receiving religious titles which underscore what unites rather than what separates the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England,” the announcement stated.
Specially commissioned chairs have been created to mark the appointments at both religious institutions.
The chair presented to King Charles III has been placed beside the monastic stalls at St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome, while a corresponding chair for Pope Leo XIV is expected to be unveiled at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Later this autumn, the King is also expected to attend a service at St George’s Chapel at which a mosaic icon of the Christ of Cefalù, gifted to him by Pope Leo XIV during the State Visit, will be dedicated and installed in the South Quire Aisle.
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