Interesting. But why now? Did King Charles III issue a formal apology for the murder? Seems a bit late.

Based on the "St." before his name, I'm pretty sure he was canonized a long time ago.

OK, after looking up some articles on the event:

A Catholic Mass has been held at Canterbury Cathedral on July 7 for years. The significance of the date is that on July 7, 1220 (50 years after his death), Becket's remains were moved to a more prestigious location. But this is the first time the apostolic nuncio (Pope's ambassador to the UK) has been there. This means the Pope officially and prominently acknowledged the event.

Why now? I haven't found an official explanation, but

• The UK has a new monarch (Charles III) who's more sympathetic toward Catholic tradition than his predecessors.
• The Catholic Church has a new Pope (Leo XIV) who's really into pilgrimages and reconciliation.
• 2025 is a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church.

So it's a good symbolic time to showcase progress in Catholic-Anglican relations. AFAICT as an outsider.

Amazingly, less than 400 years later, another King Henry (VIII) had another Thomas (More) killed for not towing the King's edict on the new Anglican Church...