The one-day visit to the principality on March 28 will include meetings with the Catholic community and young people, as well as a Mass in a stadium.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV will become the first pope in history to visit Monaco on March 28, making a one-day trip to the small European principality whose Catholic roots have shaped its identity for centuries.<\/p>\n
The visit will include an encounter with the local Catholic community, a meeting with the country\u2019s young people, and the celebration of Mass in a stadium.<\/p>\n
According to the program released by the Vatican, the Holy Father will depart at 7 a.m. Rome time from the Vatican City heliport and arrive in Monaco at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
Following the official reception, a welcome ceremony will be held at the Prince\u2019s Palace with Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene.<\/p>\n
Prince Albert met with the pontiff at the Vatican in January, shortly after declining to promulgate a law favorable to abortion, underscoring the influence of the Catholic Church in the principality.<\/p>\n
After a private meeting with the royal couple at 11 a.m., Leo XIV will meet with the Catholic community at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.<\/p>\n
The principality\u2019s constitution recognizes the Catholic religion as the state religion, and more than 90% of the population currently identifies as Catholic.<\/p>\n
Later, at 11:45 a.m., the pope will travel to St. Devota Church to meet with young people and catechumens from the country. He is scheduled to deliver his first address in the area outside the church.<\/p>\n
In the afternoon, at 3:30 p.m., he will celebrate Mass at Stade Louis II, which has a capacity of more than 18,000 people.<\/p>\n
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration, the pope will depart from the Monaco heliport at 5:45 p.m. and is expected to arrive back in Rome at 7:45 p.m.<\/p>\n
The logo chosen for the brief trip highlights the spiritual and pastoral dimension of the visit. It features a black-and-white image of the Holy Father smiling and giving his blessing while wearing liturgical vestments, the miter, and the papal ferula.<\/p>\n
According to the Vatican, the right side of the image includes a stylized depiction of a tower from the Prince\u2019s Palace of Monaco, recalling the identity and sovereignty of the principality.<\/p>\n
The tower is rendered in pale yellow so that the upper part of the logo as a whole evokes the colors of the Vatican flag.<\/p>\n
At the bottom appears the inscription announcing the trip: \u201cLeo XIV\u201d alongside the word \u201cMonaco,\u201d highlighted in the bright red of the national flag and the principality\u2019s coat of arms.<\/p>\n
The motto appears beneath it: \u201cI am the Way, the Truth and the Life\u201d (Jn 14:6), underscoring that the pontiff comes as a spokesman for Christ himself and his message.<\/p>\n
This article\u00a0was originally published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n