King Carlos III and his wife, Queen Camilla, shared her “deep sadness” after the “overwhelming loss of Pope Francis, wrote in a statement published Monday, April 21 on the social networks of the Buckingham Palace.
“However, our hearts full of sadness feel relieved to know that their holiness could share Easter with the Church and the world that served with such devotion throughout their life and ministry,” they added.
“We will remember his holiness for his compassion, his desire to maintain the unity of the Church and for his tireless struggle to defend the aspirations of believers and the people of good will who work at the service of others.”
A final meeting in April
Charles III says he remembers with a “particular emotion” of “his meetings over the years” with the Pope. “We had particularly moved to visit him at the beginning of the month.”
British king had met Pope Francis on April 9 during a Private audience to the Vatican. A photo of the Pontiff Pontiff had been published with Charles and stretcher on social networks.
The meeting had taken place outside his state visit to Italy, while the Pope was still recovering. The meeting had been initially canceled due to The state of the sovereign pontiff 88 years, who recovered froma double pneumonia.
First meeting
During this meeting, the Pope had expressed his best wishes to Charles and Camilla on the occasion of his wedding anniversary, and had wished in return a rapid recovery to the king who suffers from cancer.
It was his first visit to Santa Headquarters as sovereign. But Charles had already visited five times as heir prince. He was remarkably present at the funeral of John Paul II in 2005.
Charles also went to the Vatican in April 2009 under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, but also in 2019 for the canonization of British cardinal John Henry Newman, an Anglican who joined the Catholic Church.
Source: BFM TV
