For the first time since the Reformation, a British monarch and Roman Catholic pontiff have shared in prayer and worship.
Yesterday, King Charles III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, joined Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel that included Bible readings, English prayers and Latin chants.
In July, the King hosted a ceremony at Highgrove Gardens in honour of ‘mother earth’ at a gathering to promote his philosophy of ‘Harmony’.
‘A betrayal of the gospel’
The Royal Family’s Instagram account announced: “The King and Queen, accompanied by Pope Leo, have attended a special service in the Sistine Chapel, marking the joining of hands between the Catholic Church and Church of England, in a celebration of ecumenism.”
But Mike Judge, the Editor of Evangelical Times, warned: “The King’s act is not a harmless token of goodwill, nor a mere diplomatic courtesy. It is a betrayal of the gospel itself. The Pope still presides over a system that denies the finished work of Christ, substitutes sacramentalism for faith, and exalts human authority above the Word of God.
“To join in prayer with such a figure is not an act of Christian unity, but a public denial of the Reformation truths for which men and women shed their blood — that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
“When the Supreme Governor of the Church of England prays with Rome, he does not bridge a divide — he blurs the line between truth and error.”
Coronation vow conflict
When the King honoured ‘mother earth’ earlier this year, it was conducted by Mindahi Bastida, the ‘guardian’ and Ritual Ceremony Officer of a Mexican indigenous people group.
Describing the event, BBC Royal Correspondent Sean Coughlan said: “We raised our arms in honour of nature as we stood around a fire, which was burning within a ring of flowers.”
Coughlan reported: “we rotated as we honoured the north, south, east and west and then Mother Earth”.
Christian Institute Director Ciarán Kelly called the event a celebration of paganism and in direct conflict “with His Majesty’s coronation vow to be the ‘Defender of the Faith’”.