By Alexandra Sirgant
State and ecclesiastical authorities in Monaco are delighted at the prospect of receiving a Sovereign Pontiff for the first time in the Rock’s history. In two press releases issued on Wednesday, Feb 25, the Prince’s Palace and the Archdiocese of Monaco confirmed the information released at midday by the Holy See Press Office: Pope Leo XIV will make a round trip to le Rocher, “the Rock” on Saturday, Mar 28, the eve of Palm Sunday.
Prince Albert II invited the Holy Father to visit the Principality during a private audience at the Vatican on January 17.
“We know the centuries-old attachment of the Princely Family, and with it, of the Principality, to the Successors of Peter,” said the Archdiocese of Monaco, where Catholicism is the state religion, in its statement. The Monegasque Church recalled the commitments shared by the two sovereigns, including “a particular focus on respect for human life from beginning to end; a concern for integral ecology and the preservation of ‘our common home’; and a shared passion for sport and what it represents for humanity.”
Centuries of collaboration between the Principality and the Holy See
The visit is part of the ongoing, centuries-old ties that bind the Grimaldi dynasty, which has reigned over Monaco since 1297, to the Successors of Peter. It also aims to strengthen the “long-standing and trusting” diplomatic relations, according to the press office of the Prince’s Palace, between the two smallest states in the world.
In July 2021, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, paid a three-day official visit to Monaco to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Convention signed between the Holy See and the Principality, which elevated the Diocese of Monaco to the dignity of an archiepiscopal see.
However, the establishment of official diplomatic relations between the two sovereign microstates dates back to 1887, when Pope Leo XIII, with the bull Quemadmodum sollicitus Pastor, created the Diocese of Monaco, directly subject to the Holy See. In 2027, the Archdiocese will celebrate 140 years of history, as well as the 780th anniversary of the establishment of the first parish on the Rock, authorized on 6 December 1247 by Pope Innocent IV through the papal bull Pro puritate. These two key anniversaries will be preceded by the historic visit of Leo XIV.
The Catholic Church, a central element of Monegasque life
The Principality of Monaco is one of the last countries in Europe to retain Catholicism as its state religion. While freedom of worship is guaranteed to its more than 38,000 inhabitants by the 1962 constitution, the local Church “remains a central institution in Monegasque life, and vibrant in many ways, often unknown to the general public,” the Archdiocese affirms.
The expectations raised by the upcoming visit of the Holy Father will be all the greater. Beyond the historical significance of the visit, the Pope’s arrival will constitute “a powerful sign of hope, in a spirit of dialogue, peace, and shared responsibility,” the Prince’s Palace emphasizes. The detailed program for Pope Leo XIV’s second apostolic journey will be unveiled shortly. – Vatican News
