Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, has called upon the government to make its Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme permanent, saying that the grant had acted as a “lifeline” to churches. The grant was first introduced 20 years ago by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown, and covers the cost of VAT on church repairs that cost over £1,000.

The Archbishop of York is part of Charles' III historic state visit to the Vatican today. Both men will pray with Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel.

The Archbishop was in the Diocese of Blackburn, during which he visited several Church of England schools - St Christopher’s High School in Accrington, St Aidan’s Primary School in Blackburn and St George’s Primary School in Chorley.

Restoring trust in leadership and preventing the church from fracturing over sexuality and gender will be at the top of Sarah Mullally’s agenda.

The pope led the Sistine Chapel service with the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, currently the senior cleric of the Church of England, while Charles and Camilla sat next to