Pope Francis welcomed King Charles III for a private meeting at the Vatican on Wednesday, April 9, marking the pontiff’s first announced audience since his return from a grueling five-week hospital stay for double pneumonia. The Vatican confirmed the sit-down, held during the king’s four-day state visit to Italy, as a sign of Francis’s steady recovery.

The 88-year-old pope, who had been convalescing at the Vatican since March 23, appeared publicly in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, his first such outing since his health crisis began on February 14. The meeting with Charles, coinciding with the royal couple’s 20th wedding anniversary, underscores a warming of Catholic-Anglican ties. Buckingham Palace had initially planned the visit for April 8 but postponed it to prioritize Francis’s rest, making Wednesday’s encounter a quiet triumph.

Charles and Queen Camilla, in Italy since April 7, also attended a reception in Ravenna on April 10 to mark the region’s 1945 liberation from Nazi occupation. The Vatican meeting, held near Casa Santa Marta, saw tight security as the royal motorcade exited at 4:46 PM local time. The pair, who last met in 2019 at St. John Henry Newman’s canonization, likely discussed shared passions like climate action and interfaith dialogue—hallmarks of their prior encounters.

Francis’s return to duties aligns with the 2025 Jubilee Year, though he’s not expected to host large groups until May. For Charles, the visit—his first to the Vatican as king—blends diplomacy with personal faith, reinforcing his role as a bridge between traditions amidst global tensions.