Today’s wars are stained with blood and are the fruit of the worship of power and money, he said in the sermon. “We must not get used to the clanking of weapons and images of war! Peace is not just a balance of power, it is the work of the purified hearts of those who see in others brothers and sisters who must be protected and not enemies who must be defeated,” said the Pope.
Leo XIV, who arrived in an Italian military helicopter, was greeted by Prince Albert II after landing in Monaco. with Princess Charlene. To celebrate the Pope’s arrival, a festive cannon shot rang out and ships in the harbor set off fog sirens, which at one point even interrupted the Pope’s speech.
At the beginning of the visit, in his first speech in a state known for its wealth, the Pope condemned the deepening of the gap between the rich and the poor, according to AFP. In a speech delivered in French from the balcony of the prince’s palace, he spoke, among other things, about the fact that wealth should serve law and justice, especially in times of today’s conflicts. He also called on Monaco to use its wealth, influence and the fact that it is a small state to do good in the world.
Members of the royal family stood in the palace courtyard to welcome the guest. The women were dressed in black and had lace coverings on their heads, only Charlene had a white dress. This is a protocol privilege that the Vatican grants to Catholic monarchs when they meet the Pope, and which in diplomatic terminology is called “le privilège du blanc” (white privilege).
Part of the roughly nine-hour program of the head of the Catholic Church in the country with 38,000 inhabitants was, in addition to a private meeting with the princely couple or an afternoon mass at the Louise II sports stadium. also a morning meeting with the Catholic community in the cathedral.
Leo XIV. he called on the Catholics of Monaco to spread their faith “so that the life of every man and every woman is protected and supported from conception to natural death”. In Catholic jargon, this expresses the Church’s opposition to artificial abortion and euthanasia.
Monaco is one of the few European countries where Catholicism is the state religion. It manifested itself last year, for example, when Albert II. he refused to sign the law on the legalization of abortion, even though the Monaco parliament had previously approved it by a vote of 19 to two. The Prince argued precisely about the role of the Catholic faith in Monaco society.
The last time the head of the Catholic Church visited Monaco was in 1538, when Pope Paul III visited the principality.
