Pope Leo touched down in Monaco on Saturday, ending a papal absence from the tiny principality that stretched back nearly five centuries — and marking his first visit to European soil since being elected leader of the Catholic Church.
The trip, a one-day affair, was compact in duration but considerable in symbolism. Leo arrived by helicopter from the Vatican, landing at Monaco’s heliport where Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene were waiting to receive him. From there, he was taken to the Grimaldi Palace — the dynastic seat of Monaco’s ruling family since the 13th century — for a private audience with the Prince before the day’s public engagements began.
The last time a pope set foot in Monaco was in 1538, when Pope Paul III made the journey. That was 488 years ago.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni framed the visit in terms that extended well beyond Monaco’s 2.2 square kilometres. The principality, he said, was “a small country with big horizons” — and for Leo, it offered something strategically valuable: his first platform to speak directly to Europe as a whole.
Leo, who made history last May as the Catholic Church’s first American-born pope, had previously travelled to Turkey and Lebanon in November. A ten-day visit to Africa is scheduled for April. Monaco, sandwiched between those two trips, represents his European debut as pontiff.
After his meeting with Albert, Leo took to the popemobile through Monaco’s streets en route to the cathedral, before celebrating mass at the Stade Louis-II. Around 15,000 Catholics gathered for the open-air service — admission was free but required pre-booking — with many crossing over from neighbouring Italy to be present. The atmosphere, by most accounts, carried a weight beyond ordinary curiosity.
A Kingdom Where Catholicism Still Holds Official Status
Monaco is a fitting, if unconventional, setting for a papal visit. It is one of a handful of European states where Catholicism remains the official state religion. The principality’s five Catholic churches outnumber its casinos, and Prince Albert earlier this year declined a proposal to legalise abortion, citing the central role of the faith in Monaco’s national identity. Albert had extended the personal invitation to Leo when he visited the Vatican in January.
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Not everyone has found the destination unremarkable. Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, built his papacy around the concept of “the peripheries” — travelling to conflict zones, refugee camps, and forgotten communities. Monaco, one of the wealthiest and most glamorous territories on earth, is about as far from that tradition as it is possible to get.
Whether Leo’s choice reflects a deliberate shift in papal diplomacy, a pragmatic calculation about European outreach, or simply the outcome of a well-timed invitation remains to be seen. What is clear is that the new pontiff is carving out a travel itinerary — from the Middle East to Africa to the gilded streets of Monaco — that is distinctly his own.
An invitation from Donald Trump to visit the White House has also been on the table since shortly after Leo’s election. He has not yet accepted it.