Pope Leo XIV visited the Principality of Monaco on Saturday where he urged the tax haven's wealthy residents to "put your prosperity at the service of law and justice."
Monaco is the second-smallest country in the world after the Vatican City, and Leo urged it to use its "gift of smallness" for good.
Leo is the first pope to visit the tiny principality since Pope Paul II's visit in 1538.
Prince Albert hosts pope at royal palace
The pope was greeted by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene at the Monaco heliport, just down the coast from the world-famous marina.
The journey took just around 90 minutes from Rome. On arrival, the pope was heard remarking that they arrived three minutes late.
Other members of the royal family awaited Leo at the palace, with the women wearing black and covering their hair as per Vatican protocol.
However, Charlene wore white — a privilege granted only to certain Catholic female royalty when meeting popes, known as "le privilege du blanc."
Inside the palace, the pope sat down with the prince and princess and gifted Albert an artwork created by the Vatican's mosaic studio depicting St. Francis of Assisi, who was canonized for renouncing his wealth to help the poor.
Also on Leo's itinerary were a visit to the microstate's only cathedral and a mass in the nearby sports stadium.
Pope condemns 'chasms' between poor and rich
In an address from the balcony of the royal palace, the American pope gave an address in French.
Leo denounced "unjust configurations of power, structures of sin that dig chasms between poor and rich, between the privileged and the rejected, between friends and enemy."
Amid multiple escalating conflicts around the globe, Leo called for wealth to be used for law and justice, "especially at a historical moment when displays of force and the logic of omnipotence wound the world and jeopardize peace."
Monaco is also one of the few European countries where Catholicism remains the official state religion, and Albert has in recent years sought to uphold Catholic doctrine on an increasingly secular continent.
Monaco: Looking beyond the glam and hype
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Last year, the prince blocked a bill to legalize abortion, citing the role of Catholicism in society. It was largely a symbolic move since abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds the tiny country.
Albert used the pope's visit on Saturday to emphasize the principality's Catholic faith.
"This visit is a powerful sign testifying to the principality's importance within the Catholic Christian world," he said in an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
