Pope Francis has sent his best wishes to The Queen as he observed a tradition thousands of feet over London.
Whenever the Pontiff flies over a country, he issues a special message to the Head of State of that nation.
As he made his way to Canada, his route took him into British airspace. And so the Pope sent a statement to The Queen from the papal plane.
Addressed to ”Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace, London”, it read:
”As I fly over the United Kingdom en route to Canada, I send greetings of good wishes to Your Majesty, the members of the Royal Family and all the people of the realm. I pray that Almighty God will bless you with his gifts of strength, joy and peace.”
Just months ago, Pope Francis sent the Queen a special message for her Platinum Jubilee and donated a Cedar of Lebanon to the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
The Pope and The Queen first met in Rome in 2014, a year after he was elected to lead the Catholic Church. The Queen has overseen the development of much stronger relations with the Vatican. As Monarch, she is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, established in the 16th century by King Henry VIII after he broke with Rome during the dispute around marrying Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth II was the first British Monarch to make a State Visit to the Vatican. She also welcomed Pope John Paul II to the United Kingdom when he made his historic visit in 1982 and met Pope Benedict XVI when he visited in 2010.
