Pope Leo XIV Urges Wealth Sharing in Monaco Visit

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Monaco on Saturday for a historic one-day visit, the first by a pontiff in nearly five centuries, where he called on the wealthy principality's residents to bridge economic divides and share their prosperity to promote justice and peace.

The 70-year-old American pope, who succeeded the late Pope Francis in May as leader of the Catholic Church's 1.4 billion members, flew in by helicopter from the Vatican for the 90-minute journey. He was greeted at the Monaco heliport by Prince Albert II, the principality's ruler and son of the late actress Grace Kelly, and his wife, Princess Charlene, under clear Mediterranean skies. A cannon salute marked the occasion, and the couple accompanied Leo to the Prince's Palace, a 12th-century fortress overlooking the sea. There, Leo met the royal family's twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.

From the palace balcony, Leo addressed a crowd in French, condemning what he described as deepening "chasms between the poor and the rich, between the privileged and the rejected." He urged the audience, including the royal family and local dignitaries, to direct their wealth toward "law and justice, especially at a historical...