Serving as the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans in an increasingly secular world is just one of the challenges for Justin Welby. He also had a king to crown and immigration policy to condemn.
Britain’s head of state is said to want a more accessible, forward-looking and inclusive monarchy. It’s not an easy message to convey through golden relics and ancient rituals.
Images of the new king may be blanketing Britain, but many in the country are more focused on navigating a cost-of-living crisis than celebrating a dysfunctional royal family.
In an in-flight news conference after six days in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, Francis also denounced conservative critics who he said had “instrumentalized” the death of Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis ended his trip to Africa on Saturday by meeting with displaced people and urging his clergy not to “remain neutral before the pain caused by acts of injustice and violence.”