Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla will go to Italy and to the Vatican between March 31 and April 5, announced the British government.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are undertaking the trip to Europe, in fact, to emphasize the United Kingdom’s relations and that of its European partners in different areas, such as social cohesion, military links and the struggle against the trafficking of human beings,” stressed the press release. The last objective, moreover, is a priority of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
In 2005, Prince Charles led the British delegation to Saint John Paul II’s funeral.
The Prince and the Duchess went to the Vatican in 2009, and they were received by Pope Benedict XVI on April 27. “Human promotion and the development of peoples, the protection of the environment and the importance of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue for the promotion of peace and justice in the world, “ were at the heart of their conversations.
“The British government asked the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to visit Europe, from March 29 to April 6, 2017. The trip will begin in Rumania – the Prince will visit Bucharest and its environs on March 29-31. Then the Prince and Duchess have engagements in Italy and at the Holy See, from March 31 to April 5 and at Vienna on April 5-6,” specified the same press release, which announced that details of each stage will be given later.
The Prince of Wales has already been once on an official visit to Rumania. He has been to Italy 19 times, and the Duchess of Cornwall once. The Prince has gone twice to the Vatican and the Duchess once. As regards Austria, the Prince went there officially three times; it will be the Duchess’ first official visit.
Prince Charles is heir to the throne of England and future head of the Anglican Church, according to the present statute of the Church of England, which goes back to the rupture of the Tudor King Henry VIII (1509-1547) with Pope Clement VII on November 17, 1534.
The visit takes place on the morrow of Pope Francis’ visit to the Anglican community of Rome, on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Notably, the Pope encouraged to turn to the “merciful face of Christ” to surmount the divisions.
