When the Prince presents the Duchess of Cornwall to Benedict XVI as his wife for the first time, he will receive a gift that may strike an unwelcome chord: a “luxury facsimile” of the 1530 appeal by English peers to Pope Clement VII asking for the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
It is intended as a gesture to help to heal five centuries of schism between Rome and the Church of England, of which the Prince will one day be the head. It is also a reminder of the causes of the rift and of the Vatican’s stern views on divorce.
Only problem is that the story from the Guardian is totally false. As the Vatican Press Office wrote “This news is completely untrue and has no basis whatsoever in fact.
I am glad the Vatican Press Office requested a retraction so quickly, thought it has not yet been retracted. A copy of the letter signed by Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. available here.
5 comments
About all that is missing from the Guardian story is that the gift Charlie & Camilla are planning to give the Pope would be given a “luxury facsimile” of the death warrent for Sir Thomas More.
Actually, the whole thing strikes me more as being in line with the type of gift that Obama would give them, not the Pope.
Henry’s comment: “It’s the 20th of April, not the 1st.”
You get more accurate news from the National Enquirer these days than you get from a “legitimate” newspaper.
From what I understand The Times was the victim of the hoax rather than The Guardian and, according to Damian Thompson, this was the second time in twenty four hours that they fell for it.
Someone doesn’t seem to like The Times.
I will admit it’s a bit of a pity that the story’s false; at least as far as hope for reconciliation goes. Just my two cents.