Valentina di Giorgio
(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.04.2023).- King Charles III of the United Kingdom will be crowned on Saturday, May 6, 2023 in Westminster Abbey in London. Buckingham Palace confirmed that at least two thousand people will be attending the ceremony. Among the guests are Heads of State and of Government, Royal Houses and Representatives of Pope Francis.
Although the Holy Father was invited, he is unable to attend, and will be represented by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, reported the Holy See Press Office.
However, it’s not the only way the Holy Father will be “present” at the coronation ceremony. As we reported last April 20, Pope Francis gave two small wooden shards of Christ’s Cross for the occasion, which have been inserted in the processional cross that will be used at the beginning of the ceremony.