Monaco– Monaco (AP) – Pope Leo XIV The metropolitan visited the Mediterranean principality of Monaco on Saturday to encourage people there to use their Catholic faith and wealth for good.
As the cannon thundered, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene met Leo at the Monaco heliport, just down the coast from the marina, which is home to the megayachts of the rich and famous.
As Leo emerged from the Italian military helicopter that had flown him from the Vatican for the nine-hour stay, a brilliant sun illuminated the Mediterranean Sea. It is the first papal visit to Monaco since Pope Paul III arrived in 1538.
At the palace, members of the royal family stood in the courtyard, women dressed in black and with their heads covered with lace, waiting for Leo to arrive.
Leo aims to show how small states, such as the Holy See and Monaco, can raise their weight on the global stage to uphold traditional Catholic values ​​on the sanctity of all human life, especially in times of war.
Monaco is one of the few European countries where Catholicism is the official state religion. And Prince Albert recently rejected a proposal to legalize abortion, citing the important role of Catholicism in Monaco society.
The decision was largely symbolic, as abortion is a constitutional rights in franceWhich surrounds the coastal principality of 2.2 square kilometers (about 1 square mile).
But by refusing to allow it in Monaco, Albert joins other European Catholic royals who have taken similar stances over the years to preserve Catholic doctrine on an increasingly secular continent. When Pope Francis visits Belgium in 2024, he announced he is putting the late King Baudouin on the path to possible sainthood because he abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion.
The visit includes a private meeting with Albert and Princess Charlene at the palace, a meeting with Monaco’s Catholic community at the cathedral and Mass at the sports stadium.
A coastal playground for the rich and famous, Monaco is equally famous for its tax-friendly incentives formula 1 grand prix As is its glamorous royal family. Albert, the son of late American actress Grace Kelly, spoke in perfect, accent-free English as he welcomed Leo at the heliport. Leo was heard saying that he landed three minutes late.
Monaco’s population of 38,000 is overwhelmingly Catholic and also multiracial, with only one fifth of the population actually being citizens of the principality.
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Winfield reported from Rome.
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