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

MONACO (AP) — 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.

Leo made a one-day trip to the glitzy enclave, becoming the first pope to visit since Pope Paul III came in 1538. As a cannon boomed in a ceremonial salute, 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.

At the palace, members of the royal family stood in the courtyard waiting for 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” for good.

It was important, he said, “especially at a historical moment when the display of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.”

Speaking in French 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, since 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.

A 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 one-day visit included a meeting with Monaco’s Catholic community in the cathedral and Mass in the sports stadium.

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.

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.

Pope Leo XIV leaves after meeting with the local Catholic community inside Monaco Cathedral in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

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)

Pope Leo XIV leaves after meeting with the local Catholic community inside Monaco Cathedral in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco meet 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)

Princess Charlene of Monaco, left, and 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)

Pope Leo XIV, Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco appear at the Gallery of Hercules balcony at the Prince's Palace in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV, Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Prince Albert II of Monaco wave from the Gallery of Hercules balcony at the Prince's Palace in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Pope Leo XIV, Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco appear at the Gallery of Hercules balcony at the Prince's Palace in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Security forces take position ahead of the arrival of Pope Leo XIV at Monaco Heliport in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool)

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco welcome Pope Leo XIV on the tarmac of Monaco Heliport in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool)

SAN FRANCISCO & CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 28, 2026--

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This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260328341048/en/

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Youth soccer players at inaugural Visa Street Soccer Park opening.