Orange Order leaders have written to Britain’s King Charles to express their “disappointment” after he prayed with Pope Leo XIV in Rome last month.
In their letter, the Grand Masters of Ireland, England and Scotland called on Charles to “reflect on his coronation oath” and the “promises he made before God” when he became king.
The Orange Standard, the institution’s official publication, said praying with the Pope contradicted the King’s “solemn commitments” outlined by his coronation oath in 2023.
It confirmed the letter was sent by the three senior figures within the order, Edward Stevenson from Ireland, Tim Lord of England and Scotland’s Andrew Murray.
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Many members of the Orange family “will have been disappointed” by the King’s decision to pray with the pontiff in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on October 23rd, it said.
The event was the first joint worship including a British monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII broke away from Rome in 1534.
Although Charles has met the last three popes, and popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI travelled to Britain, their previous encounters never included joint prayers.
The Orange Standard article noted Charles had shown a willingness to engage with a range of other religious leaders.
“Nonetheless, the fact remains that in his 2023 coronation oath, King Charles swore to ‘maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law’,” it said.
The publication urged Orangemen and women “not to be discouraged or deflected from our solid foundations, which are rooted in the truths of the Reformation”.
“In October 1555, Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake for their beliefs. Winds of change will always blow; they have done so down through the centuries and will no doubt continue. Nevertheless, it is important to remain steadfast in the Reformed faith, even in the face of opposition,” it said.
“The Grand Masters of Ireland, England and Scotland have jointly written privately to His Majesty to encourage him to reflect upon the solemn commitments of his coronation oath and the promises he made before God.”
Rev Kyle Paisley, the son of the late DUP founder Ian Paisley, last month called on Charles to cancel the engagement or to abdicate and “let someone else take his place who is a true Protestant”.
Mr Paisley said the monarch should “uphold the Protestant faith” and in praying with the Pope is “breaking his oath” and “not upholding his promise to defend a reformed faith when he mixes in that kind of way”.
“The Protestant faith historically and theologically is a world apart from Catholicism,” he told the BBC.
“I don’t for the life of me see how he can engage in that kind of corporate worship.”
