Archbishop of Canterbury prays with Pope Leo in historic meeting at the Vatican

Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, has prayed with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican - a meeting that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Dame Sarah, who officially became leader of the Church of England in March, met with the pontiff on Monday morning for a private prayer and discussion, before they each gave an address.

The two leaders' churches do not agree on women's ordination and Catholicism does not allow women to become priests, but Dame Sarah and Pope Leo have found common ground.

The archbishop arrived to meet privately with Leo in his library on Monday morning, and brought gifts including a jar of honey made from nectar from beehives in Lambeth Palace Garden, London.

The pair then prayed together in the Chapel of Urban VIII within the Apostolic Palace, which houses the pontiff's private apartment and top offices of the Holy See.

In her address, Dame Sarah told the pontiff: "You have spoken powerfully about the many injustices in our world today, but you have spoken even more powerfully about hope."

She added that he could be "assured of a warm welcome from the Church of England" if he visits the UK.

Dame Sarah's four-day pilgrimage to Rome comes after the King and Queen visited the Vatican last October.

On that occasion, Charles and Leo made history by praying together in a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics across the globe.

Dame Sarah told the Pope on Monday: "I am mindful, too, of how much His Majesty The King valued his recent visit, especially the shared prayer and spirit of fraternity it embodied."

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Since assuming their positions, both religious leaders have called for peace amid ongoing war - but the Pope's statements have led to scathing criticism from Donald Trump.

After Leo used his first Easter message to strongly criticise war and call on "those who have weapons [to] lay them down", the US president called the pontiff "weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy" and demanded he "focus on being a great pope, not a politician".

Pope Leo then doubled down on his comments, warning the world is being "ravaged by a handful of tyrants".

Dame Sarah - who is currently on a four-day pilgrimage to Rome - issued a statement backing the Pope's calls for peace, urging "all those entrusted with political authority to pursue every possible peaceful and just means of resolving conflict".

Lambeth Palace said her visit to Rome is designed "to strengthen Anglican-Roman Catholic relations through prayer, personal encounter, and formal theological dialogue".

(c) Sky News 2026: Archbishop of Canterbury prays with Pope Leo in historic meeting at the Vatican