Pope Leo XIV made a one-day visit to Monaco on Saturday, the first pope to go there since Pope Paul III’s 1538 trip, and used the stop to deliver a message aimed at both power and conscience. In remarks and religious addresses during the visit, the pope urged residents of the highly affluent Mediterranean enclave to use their resources for good rather than toward war and injustice.
At the Monaco heliport, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene met Leo ahead of the pope’s arrival to the palace. The ceremony included a cannon salute after his arrival, and boats in the marina sounded foghorns at one point that interrupted his remarks. At the palace, the royal family stood in the courtyard to greet the pope, with Charlene wearing white under a Vatican protocol described in diplomatic terms as “le privilège du blanc.”
From the palace balcony, Leo urged Monaco to use what he called its wealth, influence and “gift of smallness” to do good in the world. He said, in French, it was “especially at a historical moment when the display of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.” Leo’s visit also drew attention for its timing and optics: Monaco’s global reputation includes its tax-friendly incentives and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the marina near the heliport is associated with megayachts.
During the day, Leo also addressed Catholics in Monaco’s cathedral, where he urged them to spread their faith so that the life of every man and woman may be defended and promoted “from conception until natural death,” language that the Vatican uses to describe Catholic teaching opposing abortion and euthanasia. The pope’s remarks came as Monaco, where Catholicism is the official state religion, remains aligned with a political stance on the issue: Prince Albert recently refused a proposal to legalize abortion, according to the report, citing the role Catholicism plays in Monaco’s society. The decision, as described in the reporting, was largely symbolic because abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds Monaco.
Later, Leo used Mass in the Monaco stadium to expand on his theme of rejecting war’s underlying drivers. In a homily, he urged the faithful to reject what he called an idolatry that enslaves people in cycles of war and injustice. He said, “Today’s wars, ‘stained with blood, are the fruit of the idolatry of power and money,’” and added, “Let us not grow accustomed to the clamor of weapons and images of war! Peace is not merely a balance of power; it is the work of purified hearts, of those who see others as brothers and sisters to be protected, not enemies to be defeated.”
The visit also highlighted Monaco’s standing in religious and humanitarian work, with the reporting noting the principality’s support for environmental protection and initiatives to help Christians in the Middle East. Monaco is described as a partner in the Aliph Foundation, which helps rebuild and restore churches and other cultural sites damaged or destroyed by conflict, and as a longtime supporter of church projects in Lebanon organized by l’Œuvre d’Orient, a French-based group that supports bishops, priests and religious orders in 23 countries.
Monaco’s population is described as 38,000 and heavily Catholic and multinational, with only a fifth of the population actually made up of principality citizens. On a sunny spring day, many people gathered around the palace grounds to greet the pope as his open-sided popemobile passed, and some lined streets waving Vatican and Monaco flags. Claudine Fiori, a Monaco resident, said it was “a privilege and an emotional boost” to welcome Leo, adding, “His Highness invited him and he came and it was a beautiful surprise,” and “Thanks to the pope for coming here.”
Another resident, Enrico Doja, said he appreciated that Leo spoke in French throughout the day, saying, “This means that he is close to the people,” and adding that, “nowadays the world is unfortunately run mainly by people who are ‘one man show,’ and his role is to say ‘we have to do things together.’”