Pope Leo XIV may make brief Monaco visit as early as March, Vatican says
Pope Leo XIV could travel to Monaco for a one-day visit at the end of March, though no official date has yet been confirmed.
Pope Leo XIV could make a one-day visit to Monaco at the end of March, according to a project currently under consideration at the Vatican, the AFP reported on Tuesday.
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Under the proposal, the US-born pontiff would travel from the Vatican to the Principality and return the same day, following an invitation from Prince Albert II.
If confirmed, the trip would mark the first visit by a pope to Monaco in the modern era.
The Prince’s Palace struck a more cautious note, confirming that an invitation had been extended but stressing that no date has yet been set.
“It could be late March, or April or June,” a palace source said, adding that officials are awaiting formal confirmation from the Vatican before making any announcement.
Prince Albert II has met Pope Leo XIV three times since the beginning of his pontificate, including a private audience at the Vatican on 17 January.
Monaco, the world’s second smallest state after the Vatican, has Catholicism as its state religion.
The Prince and the Pope are known to share a strong commitment to environmental protection.
If the visit goes ahead, it would be Pope Leo XIV’s second foreign trip since his election in May, following visits to Turkey and Lebanon at the end of 2025.
Several other international trips are planned for 2026, though none has yet been officially confirmed by the Holy See.