March 28, 2026, 4:31 p.mMarch 28, 2026, 4:31 p.m
Pope Leo XIV holds mass in the Principality of Monaco.Image: keystone
Pope Leo XIV denounced a “growing gap between rich and poor” during a visit to the Principality of Monaco. In his speech, delivered from the balcony of the Prince’s Palace in front of Albert II and the principality’s most important representatives, the Pope spoke of unjust power relations and structures of sin, “which open up chasms between rich and poor, between the privileged and the excluded, between friends and enemies.” The Pope called for redistribution so that everyone’s life would be better.
“Living here is a privilege for some and a special invitation for everyone to question their place in the world,” the Pope said. “The gift of smallness and a living spiritual heritage commit your prosperity to the service of law and justice, especially at a moment in history when the display of power and the logic of abuse of power harm the world and endanger peace,” said Leo XIV, alluding to the current global crises.
The day trip to the small state between Italy and France on the Mediterranean is the second foreign trip by the head of the Catholic Church, who has been in office since May last year. The program includes a meeting with Prince Albert II and a mass at the Louis II football stadium, the home stadium of AS Monaco. At around 5:45 p.m. Leo flies back to the Vatican by helicopter.
In Monaco, Catholicism is enshrined in the constitution as the state religion. According to the Vatican, more than 80 percent of the small state’s approximately 38,000 residents are Catholic. (sda/dpa)
Video: watson/Amber Vetter