"By virtue of the profound bond that unites him to the Church of Rome": On a Visit, Pope Leo XIV Entrusts Societal Missions to Monaco
In a world "in a hurry," riddled with conflict and inequality, the Pope delivered a foundational speech of his pontificate in Monaco, a country he called upon to live its faith.
Why Monaco? The question had been on everyone's lips since the announcement, on March 1st, of Pope Leo XIV's intention to dedicate his first official trip to Europe to the Principality.
At the end of this historic day, filled with joy, emotion, and serenity, everything is now clear.
Not only did the Holy Father wish to acknowledge the Grimaldi family's loyalty to the Vatican and reaffirm the country's duty to be a moral force on the international stage, but he also used his four addresses to implore the world for peace and reason as Easter approaches and Lent is in full swing.
Without mincing words, the Holy Father denounced "the hidden actions of powerful authorities, ready to kill without scruple," and delivering the world to "evil."
Surrounded by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene at the window of the Prince's Palace, the Holy Father addressed the Monegasque people and residents: "Do we truly defend human beings? Do we protect the dignity of the person by preserving life at every stage? Is the current economic and social model truly just and imbued with solidarity?" Is he driven by an ethic of responsibility that helps us move beyond the logic of exchanging equivalents and profit as an end in itself, to build a more just society?
"You will thus be experts in new things."
A call for individual and collective introspection in the face of "unjust configurations of power, structures of sin that create chasms between rich and poor, between privileged and excluded, between friends and enemies."
The Popemobile appeared late in the morning to transport Pope Leo XIV from the Prince's Palace to Monaco Cathedral.
The Popemobile appeared late in the morning to transport Pope Leo XIV from the Prince's Palace to Monaco Cathedral.
And this mission entrusted to the Monegasques: to always put their prosperity more at the service of solidarity: "I entrust to the Principality of Monaco, by virtue of the profound bond that unites it to the Church