Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in an announcement made on Friday, October 23, by the Dean and Canons of Windsor “with the gracious approval of His Majesty The King” and with the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Buckingham Palace said. The announcement was carried by People, the Catholic Herald and Vatican News. A confrater is an honorary member of a religious community — a spiritual brother — and the title is one of fellowship, carrying no official duties.
Buckingham Palace set out what the act is intended to mean. “This act of confraternity represents a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity,” the Palace said. “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.”
The Palace placed the exchange in a span of five centuries. “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 statement said. The divide dates to 1534, when Parliament severed England’s ties with Rome and declared King Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England; the British monarch remains head of the Church of England today, and St George’s Chapel, within Windsor Castle, is one of the royal family’s most important churches.
The Facts
- The Dean and Canons of Windsor announced on Friday, October 23, that Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with the King’s approval and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s support (Buckingham Palace).
- The Palace called it “a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity” (Buckingham Palace).
- It reciprocates the King’s acceptance, on October 23, 2025, of the title of Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome (People; Catholic Herald).
- A dedicated chair for the Pope will be unveiled at St George’s Chapel at a later date (People).
The Windsor title answers one given in Rome exactly a year earlier. On October 23, 2025, during the King’s state visit to the Holy See, Charles was made Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, and he and the Pope prayed together publicly in the Sistine Chapel — the first time a reigning British monarch had prayed at a public service with a Pope since the Reformation, People and the Catholic Herald reported. Two special chairs were made to mark the exchange: the King’s stands at St Paul’s in Rome, and a dedicated chair for the Pope will be unveiled at St George’s Chapel at a later date, People reported.
The wording of the announcement was precise. Some coverage, including People’s, described the King as having bestowed or named the honour on the Pope. The Palace’s own statement attributes the act to the Dean and Canons of Windsor, who announced it “with the gracious approval of His Majesty The King” — the Dean and Canons conferred the title, with the King’s approval, rather than the King granting it directly. The Catholic Herald reported that Archbishop Richard Moth welcomed the exchange as a sign of closer relations between Catholics and Anglicans, and Vatican News reported the appointment the same day.
Sources: Buckingham Palace statement; People; Catholic Herald; Vatican News.
Comments