#Vatican – The Archbishop of Canterbury, the de facto leader of the Church of England, met with the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, on Vatican Hill in Rome on April 27th, 2026, as part of a four-day visit to Rome. This meeting was the first between a female Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope, continuing a tradition of ecumenical encounters that began with Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966 that has reached its 60th year anniversary.
Archbishop Mullally arrived in Rome on Saturday, April 25th, and was welcomed to the Vatican in a pilgrimage of hope and dialogue between the Catholic Church and Church of England. On Monday, April 27th, 2026, Archbishop Mullally, accompanied by a delegation including Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster, Bishop Anthony Ball of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and others met privately with Pope Leo XIV in his library. She arrived early for the encounter and a private discussion with the pope.
Followed by their private discussion, both leaders spoke publicly. Pope Leo XIV welcomed Archbishop Mullally in the joy of the Easter season, emphasizing the “unarmed” peace of the risen Christ and the need for Christians to bear witness to it together. He acknowledged ecumenical progress but also new challenges making full communion “more difficult to discern,” yet stressed it would be a “scandal” not to continue working past divisions “no matter how intractable they may appear.” He quoted the 1966 Common Declaration on seeking “restoration of complete communion” and his own episcopal motto: In Illo uno unum (“In the One — that is Christ — we are one”).
Archbishop Mullally opened with Ephesians 2:14 (“For he is our peace…”) and expressed gratitude for the Pope’s welcome and prayers at her installation. She framed the visit as a pilgrimage continuing from her installation in Canterbury, highlighting shared ecumenical fruits like the Anglican Centre in Rome, ARCIC, and IARCCUM. She praised the Pope’s strong stance on global injustices and his recent pilgrimage to Africa as a message of hope. Drawing on her background as a former nurse, she spoke of a ministry of presence in suffering and joy, and called for deeper “hospitality” across differences. She invited the Pope to visit the UK, assuring a “warm welcome,” and closed by commending their shared journey to God in hope.
After their public addresses, the Pope and Archbishop moved to the Chapel of Urban VIII for Daytime Prayer (a “moment of prayer”). Pope Leo presided; both leaders recited the grace together. The Vatican described the event as a profound shared act of worship.
Tomorrow, on the final day of the pilgrimage, Archbishop Mullally is set to visit the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center based at St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome. The center, operating since the 1980s, provides essential services to refugees and migrants and serves as a model for similar ministries. In partnership with Episcopal Relief & Development, it has helped over 300,000 people in the past three and a half years.
This visit highlights concrete acts of compassion and solidarity, echoing themes from her earlier homily at St. Paul’s (where she called the center “a powerful expression… of the Gospel lived out in concrete acts”). Reports also mention visits to projects run by the Community of Sant’Egidio (known for peace, interfaith, and migrant support work), tying into broader themes of hospitality, justice, and serving the vulnerable.
Image: The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope seen together on the day of their historical meeting on April 27th, 2026.
