Pope Leo, King Charles unite in "Christian fraternity"
The head of the Church of England has granted the Pope the honorary title of “Confrater” as a symbol of “spiritual fellowship and ecumenical friendship.”
Pope Leo XIV has been granted the honorary title of Papal Confrater of the College of St. George at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, UK, according to the British royal family's official website.
The initiative came from the Dean and Canons of St. George's Chapel, with the approval of King Charles III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The move reciprocates a gesture made on October 23, 2025, when the British monarch was named Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome during his visit to the Vatican.
An official statement described the gesture as a visible sign of “spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity” between the Catholic and Anglican Churches. As symbols of this spiritual bond, specially designated chairs bearing their names will be installed in both churches. A mosaic icon of Christ presented to the King by the Pope will also be dedicated at Windsor this fall.
The reciprocal granting of honorary religious titles between the heads of the Catholic and Anglican Churches marks the first such exchange since the 16th-century Reformation.
As the UOJ previously reported, the head of the Church of England prayed alongside the Pope for the first time in 500 years.
