Pope Leo XIV addressed Monaco at the outset of his brief one-day visit there on March 28, telling the tiny micro-state that the “gift of smallness” and a “living spiritual heritage” lets the country “serve the cause of law and justice.”
The Holy Father touched down in the city-state at 9 a.m. The brief journey to Monaco was undertaken by helicopter to ensure the pope would not have to set foot on French soil, thereby absolving him of the institutional obligation to pay a visit to the president of the French Republic.
The pope was welcomed by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlotte; the prince had extended the invitation for the pope to visit the country following a private audience held on Feb. 17th.
Upon the popeʼs arrival a cannon fired a twenty-one-gun salute, church bells pealed in celebration, and the Vatican flag was raised.
In an address from the Palace of Monaco, Leo XIV said the country should be particularly attentive to the need for justice “at a historical juncture when the ostentation of force and the logic of domination harm the world and jeopardize peace.”
“In the Bible, as you know, it is the small who make history!” the pope said.
The Holy Father told the country that “the Catholic faith — which yours is among the few nations in the world to hold as its state religion — places us before the sovereignty of Jesus, a sovereignty that calls upon Christians to become, within the world, a kingdom of brothers and sisters.”
Monaco is the last nation in Europe where Catholicism remains the official state religion. In November of 2025, Prince Albert declined to promulgate an abortion law that would have broadened the grounds for terminating a pregnancy within the principality.
After the meeting between Leo XIV and the prince, there was a meeting with both the prince and princess in the Salon de Famille, followed by an exchange of gifts, the signing of the Book of Honor, and a papal introduction to the royal family.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Leo XIV and the prince joined together in prayer.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.