In a Tuesday statement, Buckingham Palace announced that the state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla had now been postponed in a mutual agreement between the Palace and the Holy See.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — King Charles III has postponed his early April visit to Pope Francis and the Holy See, citing the Pontiff's need for rest and convalescence at the Vatican.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Buckingham Palace announced that the state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla had now been postponed in a mutual agreement between the Palace and the Holy See.
In doing so, the Palace made reference to Pope Francis' recent discharge from hospital and his mandated convalescence of at least two months: "medical advice has now suggested that Pope Francis would benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation."
Wishing Francis well, the Palace added that they hoped to see the Pope upon his recovery.
The royal pair had been due to visit the Vatican and the Holy See on April 8, where they would meet privately with Pope Francis and participate in an ecumenical event in the Sistine Chapel. The ecumenical ceremony was to celebrate the joint passion for ecological issues shared by the King and the Pope.
As part of the Royal Tour to the Holy See, the King was due to meet with Catholic seminarians from Commonwealth countries while the Queen was due to meet with female Catholic religious leaders in an event hosted by the International Union of Superiors General.
The entire visit to the Holy See was billed as “an historic visit in the year of the Papal Jubilee, and will mark a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England.”
READ: Pope Francis appears frail as he returns to Vatican after 38-day hospital stay
Originally announced March 18, the royal visit to the Holy See raised eyebrows given that at the time Francis was still in the hospital with no discharge in sight.
It formed part of a wider Royal Tour the King and Queen were making to Italy and the Holy See, with their prior engagements to Italy remaining in place.
The Pope was discharged from hospital on Sunday, in a shock announcement delivered by his doctors on Saturday. But he will now require at least two months of convalescence at the Vatican, along with continuing his motor and respiratory therapy daily.
His social calendar has been cleared, with doctors strongly advising against any contact with groups or individuals not in his normal immediate circle of advisors, in order to limit the possibility of infection.
