It was the second stop on Pope Leo XIV’s whirlwind trip to the Principality of Monaco: a meeting with the Catholic community at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. There, the pope devoted part of his homily to explaining how the Church operates in this independent microstate.
POPE LEO XIV
In this regard, I would like to say that your Church here in the Principality of Monaco possesses a great richness: being a place, a reality in which everyone finds welcome and hospitality, within that social and cultural mixture that characterizes you.
Pope Leo did not hesitate to describe Monaco as a “cosmopolitan” state—a place that is very dynamic economically but where, within its Church, all divisions fade away.
In the face of the individualism that characterizes today’s society, Pope Leo also recalled that faith must remain alive if it is to bear fruit and not be reduced to a mere custom:
POPE LEO XIV
“It is important that the proclamation of the Gospel and the expressions of faith, so deeply rooted in your identity and in your society, be kept from the risk of being reduced to a habit, even if it is a good one. A living faith is always prophetic, capable of raising questions and presenting challenges: are we truly defending the human being? Are we protecting the dignity of the person by safeguarding life at all its stages?”
This reminder was drawn from the words of Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate—which states that faith can transform the lives of those who practice it. The Church of Saint Devota, the patron saint of the Principality, will be the pontiff’s next stop, where he will hold a special meetings with the young people of Monaco.
