Pope Leo visits a tiny, wealthy, devoutly Catholic nation in first foreign trip of 2026
By Antonia Mortensen, Christopher Lamb, CNN
Monaco (CNN) — The leaders of the world’s two smallest states came together on Saturday, as Pope Leo XIV made history with the first papal visit to Monaco in modern times.
Leo travelled to Monaco from the Vatican by helicopter and was welcomed by Prince Albert and Princess Charlene and began his visit with a private meeting at the prince’s palace. A crowd waving Monaco and Vatican flags and children wearing yellow hats waited for him.
The pontiff’s visit to the principality has raised questions about why he chose a place known for its wealth and reputation as a playground for the super-rich for his first foreign trip of 2026, and his first in Europe outside Italy.
But the ties between the papacy and Monaco run deep with Catholicism the state religion in the principality, and the Vatican sees diplomatic mileage in working closely with another small state.
There is also a personal dimension: the first US-born pope and Prince Albert share American connections given Prince Albert of Monaco’s mother, the Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, married Prince Rainier III in 1956.
“The gift of smallness and a living spiritual heritage invite you to put your prosperity at the service of law and justice,” Leo told the crowd gathered outside the prince’s palace, saying it was needed at a time when the “display of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.”
Casinos not on the itinerary
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, said small states could still play an important moral role on the world stage as a “bulwark against authoritarian tendencies” while highlighting the shared priorities between the Vatican and Monaco.
Parolin said in an era when “international law appears weakened” along with the “dangerous return of theories that justify preventive wars”, smaller states can be “natural guardians of multilateralism”
These include the protection of the environment – with Monaco actively pursuing a green transition – and opposition to abortion, with Prince Albert recently vetoing an abortion law in the principality.
The ties between Monaco and the church are reflected in Princess Charlene being among a small group of Catholic royal women granted the rare privilege of wearing white in the Pope’s presence, instead of the customary black.
Leo’s one-day itinerary includes a meeting with Monaco’s Catholic community, and a public Mass at the national stadium.
The pope, though, has no plans to visit Monaco’s famous casino district and, according to his brother John, Leo gave up gambling after his time as a missionary in Peru.
“We used to enjoy going to the boat and gambling,” John told the National Catholic Reporter. “After this experience, [he’d say] “Nuh-uh, it’s a waste. There’s better things you could do with your money.”
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