Pope Francis Gives Relic of Christ’s Cross to England’s King Charles

A woman holds a phone as Pope Francis leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Pete
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

ROME — The Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Francis has gifted England’s King Charles III with a “relic of the True Cross” for his upcoming coronation ceremony.

“I can confirm that the fragments of the relic of the True Cross were donated by the Holy See in early April, through the Apostolic Nunciature, to His Majesty King Charles III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England,” wrote Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office in an email Thursday.

In his message, Bruni said that the pope’s gift was intended as “an ecumenical gesture on the occasion of the centenary of the Anglican Church in Wales.”

The two pieces of the cross on which Jesus was crucified have been inlaid into the “Cross of Wales,” which will accompany Charles’ procession into Westminster Abbey for his coronation on May 6.

The processional cross was made by silversmith Michael Lloyd and is inscribed with words of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, from his last sermon: “Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things.”

The cross was a gift from Charles to the Church in Wales to mark its 100th anniversary in 2020 and it will lead the coronation procession.

Chris Trott, the U.K.’s ambassador to the Holy See, thanked the pope for his “extraordinary gift” in a tweet.

“We are deeply moved and grateful to Pope Francis for this extraordinary gift,” Trott wrote. “Reflecting the strength of the Vatican-UK relationship that developed over the course of the reign of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, who met 5 Popes!”

Similarly, Catholic Monsignor Ervin Lengyel, secretary of the Vatican’s nunciature in London, wrote: “In a significant ecumenical gesture, the Cross of Wales will incorporate a relic of the true cross, the personal gift of Pope Francis to His Majesty the King to mark the coronation.”

Among his numerous titles and official duties as king of England, Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England, which split from the Catholic Church in 1534 during the reign of King Henry VIII.

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