Here is a preview of Leo XIV's historic trip to Monaco.

By Courtney Mares, OSV News

On Saturday, March 28, the Pope will travel by helicopter directly from Vatican City, the world's smallest state, to Monaco, the world's second smallest. The one-day trip will be Pope Leo XIV's first international trip in 2026 and only the second of his pontificate, and includes a packed itinerary.

The day will begin with an official welcoming ceremony outside Monaco's Prince's Palace, followed by a private meeting inside with Prince Albert II, who has reigned in the principality since 2005. The two leaders previously met at the Vatican on January 17, when their discussions focused on shared commitments to environmental stewardship, humanitarian aid and the defense of human dignity.

The Diocese of Monaco has noted that the Pope and the prince share «a particular focus on respect for human life from its beginning to its end; concern for integral ecology and the preservation of our ‘common home’; and also a shared passion for sport.».

In November, Prince Albert II rejected a bill that sought to authorize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy in the Catholic principality. Roman Catholicism is the official state religion of Monaco, and 82% of the population identifies as Catholic , according to Vatican statistics.

From the palace, the Pope will proceed to the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate to address the Catholic community of Monaco. Consecrated in 1911 on the site of the principality's first parish church, built in 1252, the cathedral holds a historic place in Monegasque history, as it houses the tombs of the Monegasque royal family, including that of Princess Grace Kelly, who was married there in 1956.

Meeting with young people

Pope Leo XIV will meet with young Catholics and catechumens at the Chapel of St. Devote, a centuries-old church dedicated to St. Devote, patron saint of Monaco and martyr killed during the persecutions of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian. The chapel, a place of great popular devotion, also gives its name to the first corner of Monaco's famous Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.

This year, the princely diocese has 70 catechumens, mostly young men and women, who are following a formation program that prepares them to receive the sacraments of baptism, confession, first communion and confirmation in Monaco, according to Abbot Christian Venard, episcopal vicar for communications of the archdiocese.

Mass for a multitude of people

The day will conclude with a Mass at the Louis II Stadium, home of the AS Monaco soccer club with a capacity of over 18,000 people, before the Pope returns to Vatican City by helicopter, scheduled to land at 19:45. The Pope will return to the Vatican just in time for the start of Holy Week, as the following day will be Palm Sunday with Pope Leo presiding at Mass in St. Peter's Square.

As the Pope will travel by helicopter and not by plane, there will not be a press conference with journalists on board at the conclusion of the trip, as is customary on the papal plane.

The official motto chosen for the papal visit is “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”, taken from John 14:6.

The visit comes at a time when the Church in Monaco is facing some of the same pastoral challenges seen throughout Europe. Despite Catholicism's privileged constitutional status, the diocese has experienced a decline in Mass attendance, first communions and confirmations, trends that local clergy hope the papal visit will help reverse.

A palace communiqué described the papal visit as «a historic moment for Monaco» that constitutes «a strong sign of hope, in a spirit of dialogue, peace and shared responsibility.».