Britain’s King Charles III, head of the Church of England, and Queen Camilla will make a historic state visit to the Vatican next week to meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

“The King and Queen will undertake a historic state visit to the Holy See from 22nd-23rd October 2025. The visit will mark Their Majesties’ first meeting with Pope Leo XIV since his election in May 2025,” a palace statement said.

The trip will come around six months after the royal couple met Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, in a private visit shortly before his death.

Francis died on April 21 after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Leo, 70, who has a history of missionary work in Peru and is the first pope from the United States, was elected in a conclave of cardinals on May 8.

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During the visit next Wednesday and Thursday, Charles and Camilla will join Leo in celebrations to mark the current special jubilee year, held every 25 years, the palace statement said.

The programme will include a service in the Sistine Chapel reflecting on Leo and Charles’ shared “commitment to the protection of nature and concern for the environment”, it added.

The king will also visit a seminary that trains priests from across the Commonwealth, while the queen will meet Catholic sisters from a body that works with girls’ education programmes to tackle challenges such as sexual violence, human trafficking, and poor access to healthcare.

The visit would mark “a significant moment” in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, recognising the “ecumenical work they have undertaken and reflecting the Jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’,” the palace said.

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The British monarch is head of the Church of England, the mother church of global Anglicanism.

The Church was established in the 16th century by Henry VIII, the king who broke with the Catholic church over its refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

The split fuelled centuries of conflict, but in modern times, relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, often referred to as the Anglican Church, have been amicable.

Charles, 76, last met Francis, with whom he also shared a passion for protecting the environment, in Rome in April, despite having officially postponed the private audience due to the pontiff’s poor health.

The king, who is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, has previously visited the Vatican on five occasions as Prince of Wales, and has met three popes.

AFP

The United States has revoked the visas of several foreign nationals who publicly mocked or celebrated the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The State Department said the decision followed an internal review of social media posts deemed “offensive and contrary to U.S. values,” adding that the country “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”

Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and a strong ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot dead during a political rally on 10 September.

His killing drew widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, with many describing the act as a targeted attack on free speech.

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According to U.S. authorities, at least six individuals from Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, and Germany had their visas revoked after making comments online that celebrated Kirk’s murder or insulted his supporters.

Examples cited by officials included posts calling Kirk a racist who deserved it, and messages mocking grieving Americans.

“We will not tolerate foreigners who promote or celebrate acts of violence against U.S. citizens,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The move underscores Washington’s growing use of immigration powers to respond to online behaviour perceived as threatening or disrespectful towards the country.

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The Department said it continues to monitor social media content for evidence of incitement or endorsement of violence.
Civil liberties advocates, however, have questioned the decision, arguing that revoking visas for social media comments could set a worrying precedent.

Officials maintained that the visa cancellations were lawful, limited in scope, and aimed at protecting national integrity.

“Freedom of speech does not extend to foreigners seeking the privilege of entry while glorifying violence,” the spokesperson added.

The United States has increased visa scrutiny in recent years, requiring applicants to disclose social media handles and online activity.

The policy, officials say, is designed to prevent extremist sympathisers or those expressing hostility towards the country from entering its borders

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020.

The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal.

It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases.

His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump’s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

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In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours.

In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot.

During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.

Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

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In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases.

“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “Why don’t you give him a pardon?”

The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza.

Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel’s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.

AFP