Pope Leo XIV visits Monaco to urge its people to use their faith and wealth for good

Pope visits Monaco to urge its people to reject idolatry of power and wealth fueling wars 1 of 9 | Faithful shared their joy on Saturday as Pope Leo XIV visited Monaco. Leo made a one-day trip to the glitzy enclave, becoming the first pope to visit since Pope Paul III came in 1538. 2 of 9 | Pope Leo XIV urged residents of the cosmopolitan Mediterranean principality of Monaco on Saturday to use their wealth, influence and Catholic faith for good, especially to uphold Catholic teaching on protecting the sanctity of life. 3 of 9 | Pope Leo XIV, Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82239" data-entity-type="person">Princess Charlene of Monaco and Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82240" data-entity-type="person">Prince Albert II of Monaco appear at the Gallery of Hercules balcony at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco-ville" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="82241" data-entity-type="location">Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) 4 of 9 | Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82239" data-entity-type="person">Princess Charlene of Monaco, left, and Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82240" data-entity-type="person">Prince Albert II of Monaco, right, meet Pope Leo XIV at the Prince’s Palace during Leo XIV’s one-day pastoral visit to the Principality of Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP) 5 of 9 | Pope Leo XIV leaves after meeting with the local Catholic community inside Monaco Cathedral in Monaco-ville" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="82241" data-entity-type="location">Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) 6 of 9 | Pope Leo XIV arrives to meet with a group of young people and catechumens outside Sainte Dévote Church in La Condamine, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) 7 of 9 | From left, Princess Charlen of Monaco , Crown Princess Gabriella, Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82240" data-entity-type="person">Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Prince Jacques attend a mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) 8 of 9 | Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during a mass at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) 9 of 9 | Pope Leo XIV arrives at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) 1 of 9 Faithful shared their joy on Saturday as Pope Leo XIV visited Monaco. Leo made a one-day trip to the glitzy enclave, becoming the first pope to visit since Pope Paul III came in 1538. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 9 Pope Leo XIV urged residents of the cosmopolitan Mediterranean principality of Monaco on Saturday to use their wealth, influence and Catholic faith for good, especially to uphold Catholic teaching on protecting the sanctity of life. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 9 Pope Leo XIV, Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82239" data-entity-type="person">Princess Charlene of Monaco and Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82240" data-entity-type="person">Prince Albert II of Monaco appear at the Gallery of Hercules balcony at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco-ville" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="82241" data-entity-type="location">Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 9 Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82239" data-entity-type="person">Princess Charlene of Monaco, left, and Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82240" data-entity-type="person">Prince Albert II of Monaco, right, meet Pope Leo XIV at the Prince’s Palace during Leo XIV’s one-day pastoral visit to the Principality of Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 9 Pope Leo XIV leaves after meeting with the local Catholic community inside Monaco Cathedral in Monaco-ville" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="82241" data-entity-type="location">Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 9 Pope Leo XIV arrives to meet with a group of young people and catechumens outside Sainte Dévote Church in La Condamine, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 9 From left, Princess Charlen of Monaco , Crown Princess Gabriella, Monaco" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="82240" data-entity-type="person">Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Prince Jacques attend a mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 8 of 9 Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during a mass at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 9 of 9 Pope Leo XIV arrives at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Monaco (AP) — Pope Leo XIV urged residents of the principality of Monaco on Saturday to use their wealth and influence for good and reject the “idolatry of power and money” that is fueling wars around the world.Leo made a one-day trip to the glitzy Mediterranean enclave, becoming the first pope to visit since Pope Paul III came in 1538. Prince Albert and Princess Charlene met Leo at the Monaco heliport, just down the coast from the marina that is home to the megayachts of the rich and famous. To celebrate his arrival, a cannon boomed in a ceremonial salute and boats in the marina sounded foghorns that at one point interrupted Leo’s remarks. At the palace, members of the royal family stood in the courtyard to greet Leo, the women dressed in black and with lace head coverings. Charlene wore white — a protocol privilege granted by the Vatican to Catholic royal sovereigns when meeting popes, known in diplomatic terms as “le privilège du blanc.” In his opening greeting from the palace balcony, Leo urged Monaco to use its wealth, influence and “gift of smallness” to do good in the world. It was important, he said in French, “especially at a historical moment when the display of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.” A reference to abortion in MonacoSpeaking later in the cathedral, Leo urged Monaco’s Catholics to spread their faith “so that the life of every man and woman may be defended and promoted from conception until natural death,” he said. Such terms are used by the Vatican to refer to Catholic teaching opposing abortion and euthanasia.Monaco is one of the few European countries where Catholicism is the official state religion. Prince Albert recently refused a proposal to legalize abortion, citing the important role Catholicism plays in Monaco’s society. The decision was largely symbolic because abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds the coastal principality of 2.2 square kilometers (about 1 square mile). But in refusing to allow it in Monaco, Albert joined other European Catholic royals who have taken a similar stand over the years to uphold Catholic doctrine on an increasingly secular continent. When Pope Francis visited Belgium in 2024, he announced he was putting the late King Baudouin on the path to possible sainthood because he abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion.Pope urges Monaco to reject idolatry of warA coastal playground for the rich and famous, Monaco is renowned as much for its tax-friendly incentives and Formula 1 Grand Prix as its glamorous royal family. The son of the late American actress Grace Kelly, Albert spoke in perfect, unaccented English when he greeted Leo at the heliport. Leo was heard noting that he landed three minutes late.Leo’s visit was designed to highlight how small states such as Monaco and the Holy See can punch above their weight on the global stage. Leo used his homily at Mass in the Monaco stadium to do just that, urging the faithful to reject the type of idolatry that has enslaved people in cycles of war and injustice. Today’s wars, “stained with blood, are the fruit of the idolatry of power and money.,” he said. “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.”Though small, Monaco has made its mark as a strong campaigner for environmental protection as well as a supporter of initiatives to help Christians in the Middle East. It is a partner in the Aliph Foundation, which works in particular to rebuild and restore churches and other sites of cultural importance that get damaged or destroyed by conflict.The government has also been 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 working in 23 countries.Monaco’s population of 38,000 is heavily Catholic and multinational, with only a fifth of the population actually citizens of the principality. On a sunny spring day, many people flocked to the palace grounds to greet Leo, and some lined the streets to wave Vatican and Monaco flags as his open-sided popemobile passed by. Claudine Fiori, Monaco resident, said it was a privilege and an emotional boost to welcome a pope. “His Highness invited him and he came and it was a beautiful surprise,” Fiori said. “Thanks to the pope for coming here.” Enrico Doja, a Monaco resident of Italian origin, said he appreciated that Leo spoke in French throughout the day. “This means that he is close to the people,” he said. “And 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.’ ”___Winfield reported from Rome.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Santalucia covers events throughout Southern Europe, Italy, the Mediterranean sea and the Vatican for The Associated Press based in Rome. Winfield has been on the Vatican beat since 2001, covering the papacies of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the Francis pontificate and traveling the world with them.