The King and Queen have postponed their state visit planned to the Vatican after doctors reported that Pope Francis still needed to rest after his recent illness.
Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday that the visit had been postponed by the “mutual agreement.”
However, the broader state visit to Italy will continue in April with some adjustments to the schedule.
“His Majesties send his best wishes to his convalescence to the Pope and hope to visit him in the Holy See, once he has recovered,” said the palace.
The visit had been described as a “historical” occasion, coinciding with the year of papal jubilee. It was expected to reinforce the symbolic ties between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, of which King Charles serves as a supreme governor.
Pope Francis, 88, was discharged from a hospital in Rome after being admitted in February with respiratory difficulties.
Shortly after his admission, he was “diagnosed with pneumonia in his two lungs.”
Later that month, the Vatican reported that his condition had become “critical” due to the “development of respiratory and renal problems.”
Having previously extracted a part of a lung in its youth, it is still vulnerable to infections.
In recent weeks, Catholics “have joined in their prayers for the health of the Pope.”
His condition improved after receiving treatment at the “Gemelli Hospital in Rome”.
During the weekend, he made “his first public appearance since his admission to the hospital.”
While the Vatican visit will no longer take place, the king and queen will continue with their commitments in Italy, whose objective is to strengthen ties between the United Kingdom and Italy by emphasizing their “values, history and culture.”
The king will meet with the President and the Italian prime minister and make history as the first monarch of the United Kingdom to go to both Chambers of the Italian Parliament. The real couple has also been invited to a state banquet.
This trip had been planned during the year of the Jubilee, a significant event for Catholics that occurs once every 25 years. The Vatican visit had to include an audience with the Pope and a service in the Sistine Chapel.
Last week, Buckingham Palace expressed the “hopes and prayers” of the King and Queen that the Pope's health would allow the visit to continue. Royal sources had indicated that the “perspective was positive”, but acknowledged that the schedule would be adjusted based on medical councils.
This marks the first state visit of the year for the king and the queen, who will also celebrate his twentieth wedding anniversary while in Italy.
(BBC)