Pope Francis has made a “personal gift” to Charles III for his coronation on May 6.
Pope Francis presented King Charles III with two shards of wood from the real cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified, British media report this week. It is a “personal gift”, he said.
These relics, which measure 5 mm and 10 mm long, will be placed at the head of the coronation procession on May 6. The Vatican assures that these relics are authentic indeed come from the cross which was used to crucify Jesus Christ. The two shards of wood were placed inside a box, on a cross assembled from recycled silver bars.
The King insisted that these shards of wood be placed on a new cross commissioned from the Church in Wales, an Anglican Church. This cross will be presented at the head of the coronation procession, as a token of his “affection for Wales”.
500 years after the excommunication
The pope’s gift comes 500 years after the excommunication of King Henry VIII by Pope Paul III. King Charles III has already met Pope Francis in 2017, then in 2019.
The coronation of Charles and his wife Camilla will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of around 2,000 guests.
It will be followed in the weekend of neighborhood parties, a concert at Windsor Castle, west London. The British are also called upon to volunteer on Monday, May 8, which will exceptionally be a holiday.
