Pope Francis received her majesty Queen Elizabeth for an official “tea” at the Vatican recently where the two exchanged casual conversation and gifts.
The 17-minute meeting was the fifth encounter the 87-year-old monarch has had with a pope. Her first meeting was in 1951 with Pope Pius XII the year before she became queen. The second was in 1961 when she met Pope John XIII at the Vatican. She was also the first British monarch ever to welcome a reigning pope to Britain when Pope John Paul II visited her country on a pastoral visit in 1982. And lastly, she welcomed Benedict XVI in 2010 on his official state visit to the United Kingdom.
For queen Elizabeth, head of the protestant Anglican Church, to welcome a pope to Britain twice, reveals the accuracy of the prophetic statement that the deadly wound would be healed (Revelation 13:3). The papacy has apparently done such a good job of neutering English Protestantism that there is nothing of significance for the two rulers to talk about when they met on April 3. They merely exchanged pleasantries and gifts over tea.
The queen was accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the pope was accompanied by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary for the Affairs with the States Msgr. Doninique Mamberti,
“And his deadly wound was healed: and all the World wondered after the beast…” Revelation 13:3