pontiff

King Charles and Pope Leo are to become the first British monarch and pontiff to pray together at a church service since the Reformation in the 16th Century.

Charles, 76, last met Francis, which whom he also shared a passion for protecting the environment, in Rome in April despite having officially postponed the private audience due to the pontiff's poor health.

The US pontiff urged the world to rouse itself from "the fatal lethargy in which we are immersed".

"The agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land," the US-born pontiff said at the end of Sunday's Angelus prayer.

Reiterating the words of his predecessor Pope Francis, the new pontiff lambasted critics who "ridicule those who speak of global warming".