On 23 October 2025, King Charles III and Queen Camilla met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in what news outlets hailed as a “historic reconciliation.” The King and Pope prayed together under Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel – the first time since the Reformation that a British monarch has joined in public worship with the Bishop of Rome.
Choirs from both the Anglican and Catholic traditions united in song, and mutual honours were exchanged – the King was named “Royal Confrater” of the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, while the Pope received honorary recognition at Windsor. It was, by all accounts, a moment heavy with symbolism and significance.
Yet for those grounded in the historicist and Covenant Israel perspective, it was also a moment of deep prophetic concern – a reminder of how easily Protestant nations can forget their deliverance from the Babylonian system the Reformers once stood against.
The Papal System – The Antichrist and Mystery Babylon
From the earliest days of the Protestant Reformation, virtually every Reformer – from Luther, Calvin, and Knox, to Tyndale, Cranmer, and Wesley; identified the papal system as the Antichrist foretold in Scripture.
They saw in Rome the fulfilment of:
- The “Man of Sin” of 2 Thessalonians 2, who exalts himself above all that is called God.
- The “Little Horn” of Daniel 7, who speaks great words against the Most High and persecutes the saints.
- The “Woman drunk with the blood of the saints” of Revelation 17, called Mystery, Babylon the Great.
Rome’s claim to universal authority, its persecution of true believers, and its blending of political and spiritual power were all seen as fulfilments of these prophetic warnings.
The Reformers were not ambiguous – they proclaimed boldly that the papacy was the Antichrist system: the counterfeit kingdom of Christ upon earth.
Why This Royal Meeting Matters
When a reigning British monarch – the Supreme Governor of the Church of England – prays alongside the Pope, it carries immense symbolic weight.
It signals not merely friendship, but spiritual alignment – a bridging of the very divide that the blood of martyrs sealed nearly 500 years ago.
The British Crown and the Protestant faith have historically been intertwined. The Reformation established the English Bible, restored Scriptural authority, and set Britain apart as a defender of truth in an age of darkness.
To forget that legacy is to risk repeating the errors of history. The meeting of King Charles and Pope Leo reminds us how near we are to the prophetic warnings of Revelation 17–18:
“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins.”
The historicist view sees this growing ecumenical unity not as revival, but as a return to Babylon, the very system Christ’s true Church was called to depart from.
Commemorating Reformation Day: 31 October
As the world marks Reformation Day this month, the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg door in 1517; we are reminded that the struggle for truth and freedom is far from over.
Reformation Day is not merely a moment in history to admire; it is a warning and a call to remembrance.
It reminds us that:
- The Bible alone is the final authority – not popes, priests, or councils.
- Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone.
- Christ alone is the Head of His Church.
- No earthly throne or religious institution can replace the throne of God.
These truths cost men and women their lives. They broke the chains of spiritual tyranny and opened the Scriptures to the common people.
To commemorate Reformation Day is to honour those who stood against Babylon and to remember the deliverance of our covenant nations from papal bondage.
A Call to Remember, Not to Reconcile
As Britain’s monarch extends his hand toward Rome, let the people of God lift their eyes toward heaven.
We are not called to join hands with Babylon, but to remember the light that once broke through the darkness.
The Reformation must not be forgotten or diluted under the banners of “unity” and “tolerance.” True unity can only exist in the truth of God’s Word – not under the rule of the Antichrist system.
Let this Reformation Day stir our hearts anew:
- To stand firm upon the Word of God.
- To cherish the Protestant foundations of our covenant nations.
- To remember that Babylon still reigns – but not forever.
