Pope Leo XIV will visit the Principality of Monaco on Saturday, becoming the first pontiff in almost five centuries to visit the Mediterranean enclave.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the visit will offer the American pope his first real opportunity to address the whole of Europe.
"In the Bible, it is the little ones who play a significant role," Bruni said.
Monaco is also one of the few European countries where Catholicism is the state religion. And Prince Albert II of Monaco recently rejected a proposal to legalise abortion, citing the important role of Catholicism in Monegasque society.
The decision was largely symbolic, since abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds the coastal principality of just 2.2 square kilometres.
Bruni said that the 'defence of life' would be one of the themes of Leo's one-day visit on Saturday. However, the spokesman emphasised that the pontiff's vision is part of a broader context of the defence of all life, even in the context of wars and conflicts.
An unexpected destination
The visit includes a private meeting at the palace with Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, a meeting with the Catholic community in the cathedral and a mass in the stadium.
Albert had met Leo at the Vatican on 17 January and invited him to visit the principality.
The trip took shape quickly and raised questions about the choice of Monaco, a hereditary and constitutional monarchy, as the first European stop. Pope Francis also often visited small countries, but the pomp of the principality would probably have put him off.
"Raising questions is inevitable," admitted Abbot Christian Venard, spokesman for the diocese of Monaco. "Is it really the right place for a Pope to go to a principality known - somewhat caricaturally - as a paradise for billionaires, even though this is part of the reality of Monaco? I think it reflects a certain inner freedom of the pope,' he told the Associated Press.
Actually, there are good reasons for the visit: there has not been a papal presence for 488 years, since the time of Pope Paul III in 1538. With about 38,000 inhabitants, Monaco is largely Catholic and very international:only one fifth of the residents are citizens of the principality.
Short but symbolic trip
Pope Leo will stay in Monaco for just under nine hours and, given the proximity, will be able to fly to and from the Vatican by helicopter. But the visit is full of symbolic significance, as it represents a meeting between the leaders of the world's two smallest states to discuss some of the most important global issues.
With Russia's war in Ukraine still ongoing and the US-Israeli conflict in Iran expanding, Leo is likely to reiterate his call for peace and dialogue.
"The principality promotes dialogue and mediation, acting as a laboratory for peace, social amity and a responsible use of influence and wealth," Bruni said.
The reference is to Monaco's financial support for initiatives on behalf of Christians in the Middle East, including participation in the Aliph Foundation, which works in particular to rebuild and restore churches and other sites of cultural importance damaged or destroyed by conflict.
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