People of Monaco eagerly await Pope Leo XIV

"This papal visit is a huge honor for us, a real source of pride!" Jeannine and Michèle tell us. They’ll be in the square outside the Prince's Palace this Saturday for Pope Leo XIV's first public appearance in Monaco. The two retirees, wearing necklaces featuring a stylized Sacred Heart, emphasize that "Monaco remains a very Catholic country, where faith is truly part of our identity."

Anita, less devout, will also gladly follow the visit. "We really need the Pope and his message. He's a good man, especially when we see so many malicious people in our world today," she noted while buying fruit near the cathedral.

Jorien, the fruit vendor, is originally from the Netherlands. She said the Pope's visit comes up in every conversation. "Most Monegasques are very Catholic and are thrilled about this visit, even if a few are a bit annoyed by the traffic restrictions and prefer to leave for the day," she admitted.

Meanwhile, Faouzia, who sells fish, doesn’t share the frustration of some fellow merchants over the logistical constraints. A woman of Tunisian descent who has lived in Monaco for 45 years, she thinks it's "awesome and fabulous" that the Pope is coming. Deeply moved by the situation in Palestine, she hopes Leo XIV "will speak about peace."

An unusual logistical buzz surrounds the usually quiet palace. Gardeners mobilized to plant flowerbeds in the Vatican's colors of yellow and white. Signs bearing the Pope's image popped up just as quickly.

"It's all very motivating and exciting; we're giving it our all!" Nina-Lou, a street maintenance worker, said enthusiastically.

Monaco’s Archbishop Dominique-Marie David was surprised at how quickly organizers scheduled this first European trip for the Pontiff. He emphasized his "amazement at seeing this whole country rise up as one, with a profound communion among all its participants."

He praised the dedicated mobilization of hundreds of volunteers from Monaco and neighboring towns. These "visible and invisible helping hands" make it possible to organize an event of unprecedented scale for this small territory.

The numbers are staggering. The Principality is deploying 1,600 people just for the event’s security. This includes almost the entire Monegasque police force, alongside a variety of backup guards and first responders from France.

French authorities are drawing on their experience from Pope Francis' visits to Marseille and Ajaccio. They’re actively assisting Monaco with counter-terrorism efforts, paying special attention to drone threats. Furthermore, they're helping organize transportation around the territory.

"The Pope is going to challenge us and make us reflect," explained Archbishop David during a press conference on the eve of the visit.

The archbishop also highlighted the international dimension of his small diocese. He specifically pointed to the strong involvement of the Italian, Filipino, and Portuguese communities in local Church life. Monaco is a "platform open to the world," Archbishop David said.

He believes this international aspect might have motivated the Pope to plan the visit. "We're a tiny country of just two square kilometers” — about 0.77 square miles — “which allows him to meet the world, with over 140 nationalities present," he added.

"Monaco isn't a closed-off bubble. Everything that affects the rest of the world affects Monaco," the archbishop explained.

He shared a story about meeting a Lebanese woman living in Monaco. Through her tears, she expressed her immense joy at being able to attend the papal Mass. By being there, she felt she could truly represent her home country, plagued by war.

The theme of social justice will play a prominent role during this trip. The Pope is visiting a territory that concentrates vast wealth alongside a lot of "hidden poverty."

"The Pope is going to urge us to take care of each other," the archbishop said. "In our parishes, the richest and the poorest rub shoulders and offer each other the peace of Christ," he noted.

Archbishop David expressed his sincere hope that this visit will "bear lasting fruit." He wants it to change how the rest of the world views the Principality, while also changing how Monegasques view themselves.

"We're proud of our Catholic identity, but it's not easy to align and adjust one's life to the Gospel. That journey never ends," the Archbishop of Monaco admitted.

Brother Regis is the eldest member of the local Dominican convent and has lived in Monaco for a year now. The former missionary spent 13 years in Haiti, surrounded by extreme poverty and violence. That environment stands as the stark opposite of Monaco's immense wealth.

"The Pope will come to express his gratitude for a living and vigorous Church. However, he'll also come to open hearts to the world's problems and to peacebuilding," the elderly religious brother explained, out of breath from his climb up to the Rock (the oldest part of Monaco). "He knows the situation in Latin America, Peru, and Haiti very well, so it's important to hear him speak about these topics here too."

The Pope's meeting with youth and catechumens at St. Devota Church will be particularly important in this regard. For over a millennium, devotion to St. Devota has shaped Monaco's religious and cultural identity, Father Dominique Arz, the parish priest, explained.

Young professionals come to the church to pray every morning, he says. "St. Devota,” a 4th-century Roman martyr, “was a young girl whose body was tossed by the waves until it reached our shores, which projects an image of fragility," the priest says. "But she was also incredibly strong, witnessing to her faith to the point of martyrdom. She shows us that even with our frailties, we can rely on the grace of the Holy Spirit and embrace our faith. It's a highly inspiring model for young people."

This papal visit will serve as an opportunity for giving new impulse to the faith. Organizers launched a unique evangelization initiative specifically for this event. They’ll send 450 volunteers on a mission through the streets of Monaco, with each person distributing 30 copies of the Gospel of Luke.

"The idea is for every distributed Gospel to spark an explanation, a conversation, and a genuine encounter," explained Thibault de Lassus. He’s a recently ordained deacon and the head of family ministry for the Diocese of Monaco.

This approach aims to lead people directly to Jesus. It perfectly follows the path laid out in the papal trip's official motto: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."