Pope Leo XIV may visit Principality of Monaco

Vatican News

A papal visit to the Principality of Monaco is currently under consideration. The announcement was made by the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday in response to questions from reporters of several news agencies. The visit would last a single day and would take place at the end of March. If confirmed, the visit to Monaco would be the second journey of Pope Leo XIV since the beginning of his Pontificate and the first visit by a Pope to the Principality in modern history.

Pope Leo XIV’s first pilgrimage outside Italy took place in Turkey and Lebanon from 27 November to 2 December 2025. During the return flight, responding to a journalist’s question about future journeys, the Pope expressed his desire to travel to Algeria to visit the places associated with Saint Augustine, as well as to further dialogue between the Christian and Muslim worlds. “Clearly,” he said, “I would very much like to visit Latin America,” referring to Argentina and Uruguay, which are hoping for a papal visit, as well as Peru, the country where Robert Prevost first served as a missionary and later as a bishop.

On 17 January, Pope Leo XIV received Prince Albert II of Monaco in audience at the Vatican. This was followed by meetings at the Secretariat of State. The encounter, the Holy See Press Office reported at the time, focused on the good existing bilateral relations and on the contribution of the Catholic Church to the social life of the Principality. Discussions with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, addressed issues of common interest, including care for the environment, humanitarian assistance, and the defence and promotion of human dignity. International developments were also discussed, with particular attention to peace and security.