On a sunny Saturday, a pope who had not been seen in Monaco since 1538 stood before a small principality of wealth and water, and asked it to remember that money and power are not the measure of a life. Pope Leo XIV, speaking in French from a palace balcony and a stadium altar, framed Monaco's glittering prosperity as a gift of smallness that could be turned toward peace, even as he named wars as the fruit of an idolatry of power and money. He also reaffirmed the Church's opposition to abortion and euthanasia, a theme that resonated with Prince Albert's recent refusal to legalize abortion in t
Pope Leo XIV Urges Monaco to Use Its Wealth for Good and Reject 'Idolatry of Power and Money'
"The fruit of the idolatry of power and money"
Mark
Why does a one-day trip to a place the size of a large park matter?
Mimi
Because the pope chose it as a stage. Monaco is tiny, and so is the Holy See, and the visit was built to show that small states can still shape the conversation.
Mark
And the message was aimed at wealth, in one of the wealthiest places in Europe.
Mimi
Yes, he called on residents to use their wealth and influence for good, and said wars come from the idolatry of power and money. The foghorns from the marina interrupted him at one point.
Luke
Careful with the link, though. He said that about wars generally. The reporting doesn't say he accused Monaco of fueling any conflict.
Mimi
Fair. It was a general warning, delivered in a very specific setting.
Mark
What about the abortion reference?
Mimi
In the cathedral he spoke of defending life from conception until natural death, which is Vatican shorthand for opposing abortion and euthanasia. Albert recently refused a proposal to legalize abortion.
Luke
Worth noting the source calls Albert's decision largely symbolic, since abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds Monaco. Also, the pope's wording was indirect; he didn't name a Monaco law.
Mark
Did residents seem to welcome it?
Mimi
The two people quoted did. One called it a beautiful surprise, the other liked that he spoke French. Only a fifth of the 38,000 residents are citizens.
Luke
Two quotes can't tell us how the whole population feels. Treat them as color, not a poll.
Le Pouls
- A cannon salute and answering foghorns cut through the pope's remarks, turning a solemn arrival into a noisy welcome on the Mediterranean.
- Leo's homily sharply condemned today's wars as stained with blood and urged the faithful not to grow numb to the clamor of weapons.
- A pointed call on Monaco's Catholics to defend life from conception to natural death sits uneasily beside a principality that has just refused to legalize abortion.
- Monaco is positioning itself as a moral and humanitarian actor, leaning on its partnership in rebuilding churches damaged by conflict and its support for Christians in Lebanon.
- Attention now turns to whether Monaco's Catholic-state stance on abortion and its humanitarian role will draw sharper scrutiny in the weeks ahead.
On a sunny Saturday, a pope who had not been seen in Monaco since 1538 stood before a small principality of wealth and water, and asked it to remember that money and power are not the measure of a life. Pope Leo XIV, speaking in French from a palace balcony and a stadium altar, framed Monaco's glittering prosperity as a gift of smallness that could be turned toward peace, even as he named wars as the fruit of an idolatry of power and money. He also reaffirmed the Church's opposition to abortion and euthanasia, a theme that resonated with Prince Albert's recent refusal to legalize abortion in this Catholic state. In a world where tiny nations and the Holy See can still speak with outsized moral voice, the day suggested that influence is measured less by size than by what it is used to defend.
A cannon boomed over the Monaco coastline as Pope Leo XIV arrived, and the harbor's boats answered with foghorns, sometimes drowning out his words. It was the first papal visit here since 1538, and the pope kept it to a single day. Prince Albert greeted him at the heliport in flawless English, and the royal family received him in the palace courtyard, where Princess Charlene wore white, a rare privilege granted to Catholic sovereigns before a pope.
From the palace balcony, Leo urged Monaco to turn its wealth, influence and "gift of smallness" toward good in a world where displays of power are harming peace. At the stadium Mass, his sharpest words came: today's wars are stained with blood and born of an idolatry of power and money. Peace, he said, belongs to purified hearts that see others as brothers and sisters.
In the cathedral he turned to home, asking Catholics to defend every life from conception to natural death, a nod to Albert's recent refusal to legalize abortion in this officially Catholic state. Monaco, known for tax incentives, Formula 1 and its glamorous royals, also backs conflict-hit churches and Christians in the Middle East. Residents lining the streets, some waving Vatican and Monegasque flags, called the visit a beautiful surprise. Now the question is whether Monaco's stance on abortion and its humanitarian role will draw further attention.
A cannon boomed over the Monaco coastline on Saturday as Pope Leo XIV arrived, and boats in the marina answered with foghorns. At one point the horns cut into his remarks. It was the first papal visit to the principality since Pope Paul III came in 1538, and Leo kept it to a single day.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene met him at the heliport, a short distance down the coast from the marina where the megayachts of the rich and famous are moored. Albert, the son of the late American actress Grace Kelly, greeted the pope in perfect, unaccented English. Leo was heard remarking that he had landed three minutes late.
At the palace, members of the royal family stood in the courtyard to receive him. The women wore black with lace head coverings. Charlene wore white, a privilege the Vatican grants Catholic royal sovereigns when they meet a pope, known in diplomatic language as "le privilège du blanc."
From the palace balcony, Leo spoke in French and urged Monaco to put its wealth, its influence and what he called its "gift of smallness" to work for good in the world. He said this mattered especially now, at a historical moment when displays of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.
The sharpest language came in his homily at Mass in the Monaco stadium. Today's wars, he said, are "stained with blood" and are "the fruit of the idolatry of power and money." He urged the faithful not to grow accustomed to the clamor of weapons and images of war. Peace, he said, is not merely a balance of power but the work of purified hearts, of those who see others as brothers and sisters to be protected rather than enemies to be defeated.
In the cathedral, he turned to a theme closer to home. He asked 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." The Vatican uses that phrasing to express Catholic opposition to abortion and euthanasia. Catholicism is the official state religion in Monaco, one of the few European countries where that is so, and Albert recently refused a proposal to legalize abortion, pointing to the role Catholicism plays in Monaco's society. The decision is largely symbolic, since abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds the principality's 2.2 square kilometers, about one square mile. Albert's stance puts him alongside other European Catholic royals. When Pope Francis visited Belgium in 2024, he announced he was putting the late King Baudouin on the path to possible sainthood, because Baudouin abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than approve legislation legalizing abortion.
The visit was designed to show how small states such as Monaco and the Holy See can punch above their weight internationally. Monaco is better known for tax-friendly incentives, the Formula 1 Grand Prix and its glamorous royal family, but it has also campaigned on environmental protection and backed efforts to help Christians in the Middle East. It is a partner in the Aliph Foundation, which rebuilds churches and cultural sites damaged or destroyed by conflict, and has long supported church projects in Lebanon run by l'Œuvre d'Orient, a French-based group that supports bishops, priests and religious orders in 23 countries.
Monaco has 38,000 residents, heavily Catholic and multinational, and only about a fifth are citizens. On a sunny spring day, many came to the palace grounds, and some lined the streets waving Vatican and Monaco flags as the open-sided popemobile passed. Resident Claudine Fiori called it a privilege and an emotional boost, and said the invitation from the prince and the pope's arrival were "a beautiful surprise." Enrico Doja, a resident of Italian origin, said he valued that Leo spoke French throughout. To him it signaled closeness to the people, and he said the pope's message in a world run by "one man show" figures is that things must be done together.
What to watch now is whether Monaco's Catholic-state stance on abortion and its role in humanitarian causes draw further attention after the visit.
Citations marquantes
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.— Pope Leo XIV, homily at Mass in Monaco stadium
His Highness invited him and he came and it was a beautiful surprise.— Claudine Fiori, Monaco resident
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