Is Pope Leo About To Visit the Last Catholic Monarch?

The last I checked, there were two Catholic monarchs, because the King of Spain is Catholic, even if the country's government is anti-Catholic.

From Aleteia

By Cyprien Viet

The special status of Catholicism as the state religion of the Principality of Monaco is one of the reasons Pope Leo XIV chose to visit this tiny country.

“Let us give thanks to God for giving us Prince Albert II,” declared Archbishop Bernard Barsi of Monaco during the enthronement Mass for the son of the late Prince Rainier III on November 19, 2005. “We pray that God may grant our sovereign prince the light of His Spirit of truth so that he may carry out his high and noble mission with sensitivity and determination,” Archbishop Barsi added. These words, likely perceived by some viewers around the world as merely a reminiscence of a kind of religious folklore, were taken seriously in Monaco.

Almost exactly 20 years later, they led Prince Albert to make a politically uncomfortable decision. He refused to give his consent to a bill legalizing abortion, which had been passed by the National Council six months earlier with near-unanimity. The prince ordered his government not to implement this measure and to adhere to current regulations, limiting abortions to extreme cases.

“I believe the current system reflects who we are, given the role of the Catholic religion in our country, while ensuring safe and humane care,” explained Prince Albert. He thereby confirmed the central place of Catholicism in the Monegasque Constitution, which establishes it as the state religion.

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A symbolic and political gesture

This decision was received as a divine surprise at the Vatican, where several officials “praised the prince’s courage” during his visit in January 2026, according to sources in Rome and Monaco. Prince Albert’s decision echoed King Baudouin’s refusal to sign the law legalizing abortion in Belgium in 1990. Pope Francis highlighted this gesture during his visit to Brussels in September 2024, when he announced the opening of the beatification process for the former King of the Belgians.

But unlike Belgium — a constitutional monarchy where, just as in Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, or Spain, the sovereign’s role is essentially symbolic and does not allow him to block a legislative process — the Prince of Monaco, for his part, wields real political power.

Father Christian Venard is the episcopal delegate for communications in the Diocese of Monaco. He notes that in making this decision, the sovereign prince “didn't rely on moral arguments, but on a constitutional argument. The Prince said, in essence, ‘Either we change the Constitution, or we respect our Constitution. Now, as Prince, I am the guarantor of the Constitution. Article 9 makes the Principality of Monaco a Catholic state.’ He therefore decided that he couldn't promulgate a law contrary to Catholic principles.”

Father Venard notes that this choice echoes the words of Benedict XVI on the famous “non-negotiable points.” He also highlights the compatibility of Monegasque end-of-life legislation with Catholic ethics: the principality has invested in palliative care, rejecting any form of euthanasia.

Given these policies of the principality, the Pope’s visit to this microstate could thus serve as a message to the “great neighboring country and friend,” France, which has taken a different path.

A princess touched by grace?

On a more intimate and personal level, the prince’s decision echoed the positions of his mother, Grace Kelly (1929–1982). When interviewed in 1971 by an Australian magazine, she declared her firm opposition to abortion, “of whatever nature, legal or illegal.”

Regarding the psychological trauma resulting from abortion, the former actress said, “I feel this very strongly. Doctors tend to think that it’s all over in half an hour. It’s not that simple. The psychological consequences last for many years.” These remarks went against the grain in the context of the 1970s, marked by moral relativism and the legalization of abortion in the United States.

It's therefore likely that Prince Albert was influenced by the example of his mother, a charismatic woman deeply loved by the Monegasque people. Princess Grace was a devout Catholic, particularly devoted to Our Lady of Pompeii, whose shrine she visited frequently and discreetly. (Pope Leo also has a devotion to this veneration.)

In May 2025, Prince Albert II made a pilgrimage in her footsteps to the Shrine of Pompeii, a few days before attending the opening Mass of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate in Rome. The Pope himself will visit the shrine on May 8 of this year, for the first anniversary of his pontificate.

On that occasion, Prince Albert also visited the chapel of Blessed Bartolo Longo, who has since been proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo. The Monegasque sovereign’s tribute to this Italian layman echoed his commitment to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which Prince Albert supports and of which he holds the Grand Cross.

In addition to defending life, supporting Christians in the East is also a priority for this prince, who has made the bond with the Catholic Church and the papacy a priority of his reign.