He Pope Leo XIV denounced that at this historical moment “the ostentation of force and the logic of prevarication harm the world and threaten peace”, in the speech to the authorities during his brief trip this Saturday to the small principality of Monaco.
In his first speech on the balcony of the Prince’s palace after having met with Albert II, Leo XIV stated that this country located “among the founding countries of European unity, in its independence it has a vocation for meeting and caring for social friendship” that today “are threatened by a generalized atmosphere of closure and self-sufficiency.”
And in this small State, where he will spend just 9 hours, he stated, speaking in French, that “a living spiritual heritage” must commit its wealth to the service of law and justice, “especially at a historical moment in which the ostentation of force and the logic of prevarication harm the world and threaten peace.”
On the balcony, together with Albert II and Charlene, dressed in white and mantilla for the privilege given to Catholic sovereigns, Leo XIV did not forget that a majority of citizens from other countries live in Monaco and that many of them “They hold positions of considerable influence in the economic and financial sphere.”
He added that living in this country “It represents a privilege for some and, for everyone, a specific call to question their place in the world.”
Monaco is the country with the highest concentration of millionaires in the world; More than a third of its 39,000 residents have a net worth of more than $1 million. It is considered a tax haven without income tax and with an average GDP per capita of 267,522 euros, making its inhabitants the richest on the planet.
And in this country, the pope stated that “Every talent, every opportunity, every good placed in our hands has a universal destiny, an intrinsic demand not to be withheld, but to be redistributed, so that everyone’s life is better.”
And that is why he spoke of the need to share and recalled the need to put the poor at the center.
He recalled that Monaco is one of the few countries in the world that has the Catholic faith as a state religion and assured that this “It does not crush, but rather it liberates; it does not separate, but unites.”
He also praised the commitment of the principality and Albert II to integral ecology.
After this speech, the pope will sign the Book of Honor in the Hall of Mirrors and, after the presentation of the family in the Guard Room, the prince will show the two frescoes on the façade that represent the visit of Paul III in 1538 and the passing of the coffin of Pope Pius VI in 1802. Finally, both will enter the chapel for a moment of reflection.
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II greeted the several hundred inhabitants of the principality from the balcony of the Palace after having held a private meeting, during the brief visit that the American pontiff is making this Saturday.
Leo XIV arrived by helicopter to the small State and moved to the Prince’s palace where he was received with all honors. by Albert II and his wife Charlene, who were also accompanied by their twin children Jacques and Gabriela, dressed in white like their mother.
In the palace courtyard, Carolina and Stephanie of Monaco were also on the authorities’ tribune.
After visiting the palace and meeting with Albert II in the Salon de Famille, the private meeting took place, followed by the exchange of gifts and photos.
This is his second international apostolic trip, the first by a pope in modern times since there is only evidence that in 1538, Paul III passed through that territory on his return from the Congress of Nice.
(With information from EFE)
