The Holy Father met with the country's royalty, addressed Catholic youth, and celebrated Mass at Louis II Stadium.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his one-day trip to Monaco on March 28, wrapping up a whirlwind visit that included meeting with the country's royalty and holding Mass in Louis II Stadium.
The Holy Father became the first pope to visit the European micro-state in nearly 500 years. He appealed to the wealthy nation to spread the Gospel and become vessels of God's love and generosity.
The Holy Father arrived in Monaco as part of a one-day visit on March 28.
The following is a homily given to the faithful by Pope Leo XIV at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Dear brothers and sisters:
Before God and in the presence of God we have a lawyer: Jesus Christ, the righteous (cf. 1 Jn 2,1-2). With these words, the apostle John helps us to grasp the mystery of salvation. In our fragility, carried with the weight of sin that marks our humanity, unable to embrace with our own forces the fullness of life and happiness, we have been reached by God himself through his Son Jesus Christ. He — says the Apostle — as a victim of atonement, carried upon himself the evil of man and the world, took it with us and for us, passed by him transforming it and freeing us forever.
Christ is the dynamic center, the heart of our faith, and it is from this centrality that I would like to address you, while I cordially greet His Highness Prince Albert, His Excellency Mons. Dominique-Marie David, the priests and the religious present, expressing to all of you the joy of being here and sharing your ecclesial path.
Contemplating Christ as a "lawyer", in reference to the reading we have heard, I would like to offer you some reflections.
The first refers to the gift of communion. Jesus Christ, the righteous, interceding for humanity before the Father, reconciles us with Him and among us. He does not come to make a condemning judgment, but to offer to all his mercy that purifies, heals, transforms and makes us part of the only family of God. His compassionate and merciful tenter makes him a "lawyer" for the defense of the poor and sinners, certainly not to support evil, but to free them from oppression and slavery and make them children of God and brothers among themselves.
It is no coincidence that the gestures performed by Jesus are not limited to the physical or spiritual healing of the person, but also comprise an important social and political dimension; the healed person is reintegrated, with all his dignity, to the human and religious community from which, often precisely because of his condition of illness or sin, he had been excluded.
This communion is the sign par excellence of the Church, called to be in the world a reflection of the love of God that shows no partiality (cf. Ach 10:34). In this sense, I would like to say that the Church, here in the Principality of Monaco, has a great wealth: to be a place, a reality in which everyone finds welcome and hospitality, in that social and cultural mixture that is a typical trait of you.
The Principality of Monaco, in fact, is a small state inhabited, however, in a varied way by Monegasques, French, Italians and people of many other nationalities. A small cosmopolitan state, in which the variety of origins is also associated with other socioeconomic differences. In the Church, such differences never become an occasion of division into social classes; on the contrary, all are welcomed as persons and children of God, and all are recipients of a gift of grace that drives communion, fraternity and reciprocal love.
This is the gift that comes from Christ, our advocate before the Father. Indeed, we have all been baptized in Him and, for this reason, says St. Paul, "there is no longer a Jew or a pagan, slave or free, man or woman, because all of you are only one in Christ Jesus" (Ga 3:28).
However, I think it is necessary to underline a second aspect: the proclamation of the Gospel in defense of man. Wishing that everyone will accept the good news of the Father's love, Jesus places himself as a "lawyer" mainly for defense of those who were considered abandoned by God and who are judged as forgotten and marginalized, becoming the voice and face of the merciful God who "grants the right to the oppressed" (Ps 103,6).
I then think of a Church called to become a "lawyer", that is, to defend man: man in his integrity, and all human beings. It is a path of critical and prophetic discernment aimed at promoting an "integral development" of humanity, which respects its authentic dignity and identity, as well as its ultimate purpose, which refers to a mystery of full communion with the God Trinity and among us" (INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION, Quo vadis, humanitas?, 22).
This is the first service that the proclamation of the Gospel must provide: to enlighten the human person and society so that, in the light of Christ and his Word, they may discover their own identity, the meaning of human life, the value of relationships and social solidarity, the ultimate end of existence and the destiny of history.
In this regard, I wish to encourage you to provide a passionate and generous service in evangelization. Announce the Gospel of life, hope and love; bring to all the light of the Gospel so that the life of every man and every woman is defended and promoted from their conception to their natural end; offer new maps capable of curbing those impulses of secularism that run the risk of reducing man to individualism and basing social life on the production of wealth.
It is important that the proclamation of the Gospel and the forms of faith, so rooted in your identity and society, are preserved from the risk of being reduced to habit, even if it is good. A living faith is always prophetic, capable of raising questions and offering provocations: are we really defending the human being? Are we protecting the dignity of the person in the protection of life in all its phases? Is the current economic and social model really fair and inspired by solidarity? Is this model inhabited by the ethics of responsibility, which helps us to go beyond the "logic of the exchange of equivalent things and profit as an end in itself" (BENEDICT XVI, Letter enc. Caritas in veritate, 38), to build a fairer society?
Dear friends, keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, our advocate before the Father, generates a faith rooted in the personal relationship with Him, a faith that becomes a testimony, capable of transforming life and renewing society. This faith needs to be announced with new instruments and languages, also digital, and all must be introduced and trained in it with continuity and creativity. This applies in particular to those who are opening up to the encounter with God - the catechumens - and to those who start again, to whom I ask them to have special attention.
May your patron saint, the Virgin and martyr Devota, inspire you with her example, and may Mary Most Holy, Immaculate Virgin, intercede for you and always guide you along this path.
The pope's homily was published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Bangladesh bishops say "no" to government support, Seoul archbishop urges defense of life amid war, second church built in Mosul after ISIS, and more in this week's roundup of Catholic world news.
After the government of recently elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of Bangladesh announced on March 14 that it would offer a monthly allowance for priests, the Bangladesh Catholic Bishops' Conference has officially decided to decline it, according to Crux.
"We humbly decline to accept the proposed allowance for priests," said Archbishop Bejoy D'Cruze of Dhaka, president of the conference.
The allowance is meant for all clergy, no matter the religion or denomination, and is the first in the country of 180 million inhabitants — only about 600,000 of whom are Christian.
The bishops said they were grateful for the government's effort but that they prefer to rely on the generosity of the faithful to continue their spiritual and pastoral work.
In an Easter message, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, who leads the Archdiocese of Seoul in South Korea, urged Christians to "defend life amid war, suffering, and moral uncertainty," calling the faithful to make concrete, life-giving choices rooted in the hope of the Resurrection.
LiCAS news reported that Chung quoted from the Gospel of Luke as well as from Pope Leo XIV and urged the faithful "'to remember all who suffer, pray for them, and stand in solidarity,' especially those facing threats to life amid war and violence."
Chung called for "the faithful to become witnesses of the Resurrection" and highlighted the upcoming World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027, saying it "will be a time of grace for us to newly experience the joy of the Resurrection."
Young Catholics recently gathered in Yogyakarta, Central Java, from various cities, including Surabaya, Jakarta, Cilacap, Surakarta, Semarang, Malang, and Yogyakarta for a three-day training aimed at "forming a new generation of ecological advocates grounded in faith," according to LiCAS news.
The training was provided by the Laudato Si' Movement Indonesia in collaboration with the Catholic Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta as part of a broader effort to teach young people how to be ecologically aware and responsible while also deeply grounded in their Catholic faith.
Vatican News has announced that Indonesian will become the 57th language by which news will be available on Vatican News, the news portal of the Holy See. The decision, made on March 25 with a Memorandum of Understanding agreement between representatives of Indonesia and the Holy See's Dicastery for Communication, will mean "more people will be able to receive the pope's message in their own language."
Angola, where Pope Leo will visit April 18–21, has officially launched the registration process for participation in World Youth Day (WYD) 2027 scheduled to take place in Seoul, South Korea, with Church leaders urging young people to approach the international gathering as a profound spiritual experience rather than a simple opportunity for travel, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Thursday.
Speaking during the unveiling of the official registration website on Tuesday, March 24, Francisco Bernardo, a member of the national organizing committee, underscored that participation in WYD is fundamentally an experience of faith.
In Iraq's Christian heartland of Qaraqosh, the recent consecration of St. Ephrem Syriac Catholic Church and its altar has become more than a liturgical milestone, according to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News.
Syriac Catholic Archbishop Benedictus Younan Hano of Mosul said opening the church in a time of war is itself an answer to destruction, a declaration that Christians remain committed to building rather than tearing down.
Celebrated on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, the dedication of the second church to be built after ISIS occupation also carried a message of perseverance for Iraq's Christians, who continue to affirm their roots and presence in their historic homeland. Pope Leo XIV sent his blessing for the occasion, encouraging the faithful to remain steadfast in faith and hope as they rebuild their churches, their country, and their future.
In Damascus, Syria, a sit-in at Bab Touma drew Syrians from different religious and social backgrounds who said they were pushing back against measures they see as an assault on public freedoms and the country's plural character.
ACI MENA reported that protesters insisted their action was not about alcohol, despite public speculation, but about what they described as an expanding pattern of interference in personal life and an overreach of authority during Syria's transitional period.
Their slogans rejected sectarian sorting of neighborhoods and warned against imposing a single social model on a historically diverse society. Church leaders were largely absent from the protest, though the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Bosra, Hauran, and Jabal al-Arab issued a statement cautioning that such decisions risk undermining citizenship, social cohesion, and the long-standing unity of Damascus.
The Holy Father described the Monacan patron Saint Devota as "a courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith."
Pope Leo XIV met with young people and catechumens of Monaco at the Church of Saint Devota, the third public engagement of his one-day trip to the micro-state on March 28.
After listening to the testimonies of several young people, Leo XIV spoke of the figure of Saint Devota, the patroness of Monaco, describing her as "a courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith in the face of the violence of her persecutors, even unto martyrdom."
"Good is stronger than evil, even when, at times, it may seem — in the immediate moment — to be getting the worst of it," the pope said. "Moreover, [Devota] reminds us that the witness of faith is a seed capable of reaching and bearing fruit in distant hearts and places, far beyond our own expectations and capabilities."
"In this very church, quite recently," the pope said, "the memory of the Holy Martyr Devota has been joined by that of Saint Carlo Acutis — another young person deeply in love with Jesus, faithful to his friendship with Christ until the very end, albeit in a completely different era and in completely different ways."
"These two saints encourage us and urge us to imitate them," the Holy Father said.
In the modern world, "faith encounters challenges and obstacles," the pope said, "yet nothing can dim its beauty or obscure its truth."
Responding to the testimonies of the youth, the pope highlighted "a fundamental aspect of the Christian life: the vitality of one's relationship with Christ and, within that relationship, the sense of unity that is forged both within ourselves and with others."
"The modern and post-modern eras have enriched us with many good things; yet, they also confront us with significant challenges — challenges we cannot ignore and which we must face with clarity and awareness," he said.
"What gives solidity to life is love: first and foremost, the fundamental experience of God's love, and then — as a reflection of that — the illuminating and sacred experience of mutual love."
"And loving one another — while on the one hand requiring an openness to growth, and thus to change — on the other demands fidelity, constancy, and a readiness to make sacrifices in the daily rhythm of life," the pope added.
"Only in this way does restlessness find peace, and the inner void become filled — not with material and fleeting things, nor with the virtual validation of thousands of 'likes,' nor with restrictive, artificial, or at times even violent forms of belonging."
"We must clear these things away from the threshold of the heart, so that the healthy, oxygenating air of grace may once again return to refresh and revitalize its chambers, and so that the strong wind of the Holy Spirit may resume filling the sails of our existence, propelling it toward true happiness," he said.
Earlier in the day the pope met with Monaco's royal family before meeting with Catholics at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Leo XIV is the first pope to visit the costal European nation-state in nearly 500 years.
The Holy Father urged Catholics in Monaco to "announce the Gospel of life, hope and love" and defend the dignity of human beings from birth to death.
During his meeting with Catholics in Monaco, the second appointment of his whirlwind trip to the small country, Pope Leo XIV warned about the risks of reducing faith "to custom" and called on the faithful to be like Christ, defending the poor and marginalized against individualistic secularism.
The pontiff supported his reflections in the document Quo vadis, humanitas? of the International Theological Commission, published on March 4, 2026. The Latin phrase means "Where are you going, humanity?"
The pope met Catholics at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Monaco, built between 1875 and 1903 in the neo-Romanesque style.
The temple houses the tomb of some sovereigns of the principality, including Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace Kelly, an iconic American actress who became royalty after marrying Rainier III in 1956.
The Principality of Monaco is one of the last European countries to maintain Catholicism as a state religion, though its 1962 constitution guarantees freedom of worship and expression. In practice it means that Catholicism is taught in schools and that state ceremonies include a Mass.
In November of 2025 Prince Albert II vetoed a law passed by the National Council that sought to legalize abortion up to 12 weeks. He justified his decision by citing the Catholic identity of the principality and the need to maintain the current legal framework, which decriminalizes the termination of pregnancy only in exceptional cases
Based on the episode of the Gospel in which the Apostle John describes Jesus Christ as the righteous (cf. 1 Jn 2,1-2), the pope explained that the Church is called to be "lawyer", that is, to defend man in his integrity and all human beings, promoting a comprehensive development that respects the dignity and ultimate goal of the person.
He asked the faithful to contemplate Christ as a "lawyer" and urged Christians to provide "passionate and generous" service in evangelization.
"Announce the gospel of life, hope and love; bring to all the light of the Gospel so that the life of every man and woman is defended and promoted from their conception to their natural end," he said.
The pope arrived at the cathedral after his visit to the Prince's Palace, where the Monegasque sovereign family resides.
It is important, the pope pointed out, that the proclamation of the Gospel and the forms of faith "are preserved from the risk of being reduced to habit, even if it is good."
"A living faith is always prophetic, capable of raising questions and offering provocations: Are we really defending the human being? Are we protecting the dignity of the person in the protection of life in all its phases? Is the current economic and social model really fair and inspired by solidarity?" he said.
Leo cited Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Caritas in veritate published in 2009: "Is this model inhabited by the ethics of responsibility, which helps us to go beyond the 'logic of the exchange of equivalent things and profit as an end in itself?'" he said.
The pontiff also warned about the "impulses of secularism," which can reduce man to individualism and orient social life only towards the production of wealth.
The Holy Father asked for a new orientation based on the Gospel and to adopt the compassionate and merciful love of Christ.
Christ, he said, became a "lawyer" to defend the poor and sinners, freeing them from oppression and making them children of God and brothers among themselves.
"He does not come to condemn, but to offer mercy that purifies, heals, transforms and makes us part of the only family of God," he stressed.
The Pope praised the hospitality of Monaco, a small cosmopolitan state with cultural and socioeconomic diversity.
He recalled that in the Church there are no social classes: "Everyone is welcomed as people and children of God, and all are recipients of a gift of grace that drives communion, fraternity and reciprocal love."
According to the pontiff, the first service that the Gospel must provide is "to enlighten the person and society, so that they discover their identity, the meaning of human life, the value of relationships and solidarity, as well as the ultimate end of existence and the destiny of history."
Pope Leo XIV will make a historic one-day visit to the principality of Monaco on March 28. Here are 10 key things to know about the tiny nation and its enduring Catholic identity.
On March 28, Pope Leo XIV will make history by becoming the first pope in the modern era to make an apostolic visit to Monaco.
Tucked along the Mediterranean coast, the principality of Monaco — whose official language is French — is often associated with Formula 1, wealth, glamor, and the famed Monte Carlo Casino. Yet beneath its polished exterior lies a profoundly Catholic heritage that continues to shape its laws, culture, and monarchy.
Here are 10 key things to know about Monaco and its enduring Catholic identity:
Unlike many modern European nations, Monaco officially recognizes the Catholic Church as the state religion. Only a tiny handful of countries still have Catholicism as their official state religion in law including Vatican City, Malta, Costa Rica, and Liechtenstein. Monaco is the last European country whose constitution declares "the Catholic, apostolic, and Roman religion" as the state religion, making Pope Leo's visit a spotlight on Europe's final officially Catholic state.
Currently, more than 90% of the population — roughly 38,000-39,000 people — identifies as Catholic.
Monaco also has an older population. Roughly a third or more of residents are over 65. Life expectancy in Monaco is among the highest in the world — often estimated in the late 80s — which means the Church here walks with a very elderly population.
The ruling family of Monaco, the House of Grimaldi, has long been closely tied to Catholicism. Prince Albert II of Monaco, the current sovereign, was baptized and raised in the faith, as were his predecessors. Prince Albert is the son of Prince Rainier III and American actress Grace Kelly, who was also Catholic.
Prince Albert II is 68 and has been married to Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer, since 2011. They have two children — twins Jacques and Gabriella.
Before marrying Wittstock, Albert had two children out of wedlock — Jazmin and Alexandre. While both are recognized as children of Prince Albert, they are not in the line of succession for the throne because their parents never married.
Believe it or not, Monaco is smaller than New York City's Central Park. Only Vatican City is smaller than Monaco. The principality covers just about 2 square kilometers (less than 1 square mile), yet it packs in a dense population and world-class infrastructure.
It should be noted that Monaco is both a principality and a country. It is a sovereign, independent city-state and its status as a "principality" relates to its form of government — a constitutional monarchy ruled by a prince.
The small country only has one diocese, the Archdiocese of Monaco, and the Guiness World Records recognizes it as the smallest diocese in the world by territory.
During his visit, Pope Leo will meet with Archbishop Dominique-Marie David — a French priest ordained in Nantes, France, and appointed to Monaco in 2020 — the only archbishop in the country.
Monaco has a surprisingly rich parish life: Six parishes and about 15 churches and chapels serve this tiny country.
There are 29 priests in active ministry — including one official exorcist: Canon Alain Goinot, who was appointed in 2015 — as well as 14 religious sisters. The four communities of religious sisters include Dominicans, Oblates of the Virgin Mary of Fátima, Filles du Saint-Cœur de Marie, and Sœurs de Notre-Dame de l'Incarnation.
Additionally, if you were to look at a map of Monaco you would see that on each corner of the principality there is a church: the Cathedral on the Rock, Saint-Charles with the Dominicans, Saint-Martin–Sacré-Cœur, Sainte-Dévote, Saint-Nicolas in the port, and the Prince Palace's own chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
Monaco has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world. Its economy thrives on luxury tourism, banking, and real estate, attracting millionaires and billionaires from across the globe.
One major reason the wealthy flock to Monaco is that it does not levy personal income tax (with a few exceptions). This has helped establish it as a global tax haven.
Abbé Christian Venard, episcopal vicar for communications of the principality's archdiocese, told EWTN News in an interview that "while there are very wealthy people, ordinary people, sometimes even very simple ones, are also needed to make the system work. This social mix gives our diocesan Church a truly unique character. Sometimes in church, a billionaire and a housemaid can sit on the same pew. The Church is one of the rare places of social intermingling in the principality and must take this important aspect into account in its daily apostolate."
The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate — formerly the Cathedral of St. Nicholas — is where Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly were married in 1956 and where many princes and princesses, including Kelly, are buried. Their wedding Mass is still one of the most-watched royal Catholic weddings in history.
Monaco's patroness, St. Devota (Sainte Dévote), is so important that her feast — Jan. 27 — is a solemnity and day of precept in the archdiocese. Her relic is even kept in the palace chapel.
St. Devota is a revered early Christian martyr believed to have lived in the late third or early fourth century. According to tradition, she was born in Corsica and killed for her faith during Roman persecution. Her body was said to have been placed on a boat by fellow Christians, which miraculously drifted to Monaco, where she became the principality's patron saint.
One of the clearest reflections of Monaco's Catholic identity is its legal stance on abortion. Influenced by Catholic moral teaching, the country has historically prohibited abortion except in very limited circumstances. This legal framework reflects a strong cultural commitment to the dignity of human life.
Last November, Prince Albert refused to sign a bill that would further liberalize abortion in the principality, even though it passed in Parliament 19-2. Albert said he understands "the sensitivity of this issue" but insisted the current law better respects Monaco's Catholic identity and the special place of the Church while still ensuring "safe and more humane" support for women.
In 2018, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, a member of the royal family of Monaco, was removed from her distant place in the British line of succession after becoming a Catholic.
Princess Alexandra was born in Austria and baptized a Lutheran two months after her birth. She is the daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Prince Ernst August of Hanover. Through her father she is descended from Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Alexandra is the granddaughter of Grace Kelly, who in 1956 became Princess of Monaco when she married Rainier III. So in addition to having been in the British line of succession, Alexandra was the 12th in line to the Monegasque throne.
Because the British monarch is head of the Church of England, which is the established church there, British law bars Catholics from succeeding to the throne.
The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 allowed heirs to the throne to marry Catholics, among other changes. However, the law still stipulates that the acting British sovereign must not be a Catholic. Catholics have been barred from the English throne since the Act of Settlement 1701.
Leo is the first pope to visit the tiny country in nearly half a millennium.
The pope's whirlwind visit to Monaco began with a meeting with the country's royal family and an address to the small city-state.
Pope Leo XIV addressed Monaco at the outset of his brief one-day visit there on March 28, telling the tiny micro-state that the "gift of smallness" and a "living spiritual heritage" lets the country "serve the cause of law and justice."
The Holy Father touched down in the city-state at 9 a.m. The brief journey to Monaco was undertaken by helicopter to ensure the pope would not have to set foot on French soil, thereby absolving him of the institutional obligation to pay a visit to the president of the French Republic.
The pope was welcomed by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlotte; the prince had extended the invitation for the pope to visit the country following a private audience held on Feb. 17th.
Upon the pope's arrival a cannon fired a twenty-one-gun salute, church bells pealed in celebration, and the Vatican flag was raised.
In an address from the Palace of Monaco, Leo XIV said the country should be particularly attentive to the need for justice "at a historical juncture when the ostentation of force and the logic of domination harm the world and jeopardize peace."
"In the Bible, as you know, it is the small who make history!" the pope said.
The Holy Father told the country that "the Catholic faith — which yours is among the few nations in the world to hold as its state religion — places us before the sovereignty of Jesus, a sovereignty that calls upon Christians to become, within the world, a kingdom of brothers and sisters."
Monaco is the last nation in Europe where Catholicism remains the official state religion. In November of 2025, Prince Albert declined to promulgate an abortion law that would have broadened the grounds for terminating a pregnancy within the principality.
After the meeting between Leo XIV and the prince, there was a meeting with both the prince and princess in the Salon de Famille, followed by an exchange of gifts, the signing of the Book of Honor, and a papal introduction to the royal family.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Leo XIV and the prince joined together in prayer.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The legend of St. Dévote is one of Monaco's oldest traditions, sparking a deep devotion to the martyr and to the Catholic faith, shaping national life in the small city-state.
When Pope Leo XIV arrives in Monaco for a one-day trip on March 28, he will attend a welcome ceremony with the prince of Monaco, meet with Catholics at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and visit the Chapel of St. Dévote, a historic Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to the principality's patron saint.
During the brief visit to the chapel, the pope will meet with young people and catechumens from Monaco outside the church.
Located in the Ravin de Sainte-Dévote, the chapel devoted to St. Dévote dates back to before 1070 and is a key site for Monegasque traditions, including the annual burning of a boat and the royal bride's bouquet-laying.
Although relatively unknown beyond Monaco, St. Dévote remains a deeply admired figure in the small city-state where her legacy has been honored for centuries after her martyrdom. But who was this beloved young woman whom Monaco still celebrates?
The sources of the legend of St. Dévote have survived in the form of manuscripts. The oldest known version dates back to the early 12th century and is now housed at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
According to the ancient legend, Dévote lived in the third century in Corsica, a small mountainous Mediterranean island. She was a young Christian when openly following Jesus could mean prison, torture, or death. As a devout follower of her faith, she consecrated her virginity and life to Christ.
When persecution rose, Dévote was arrested. The young woman refused to deny Christ, so she was brutally tortured and killed. It is believed she was martyred by the prefect Barbarus during the reign of Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303 or 304.
Her persecutors planned to burn her body so Christians would have no relics or body to venerate, but a small group of Christians secretly recovered her body. They placed it on a boat sailing to North Africa, hoping to bring her relics to a community that would bury her with honor and invoke her as a martyr.
The legend says that as the boat journeyed, a mysterious dove appeared and guided it along the coast, but a violent storm broke out and the sailors prayed for Dévote's intercession and the storm suddenly calmed. The boat finally made its way to a port in Monaco.
The Christians believed the diversion was a sign that God had chosen Monaco as Dévote's final resting place. She was buried there and a small and simple oratory was built over her tomb.
The faithful in Monaco never forgot the teenage martyr whose body arrived on their shore in the storm-tossed boat. St. Dévote became the patron of Monaco and of the ruling Grimaldi family — which has reigned in Monaco since 1297.
She is also a protector for sailors, fishermen, and all who travel by sea.
The legend of St. Dévote is one of Monaco's oldest traditions, influencing a deep devotion to the faith and to the saint. It has also shaped national life in Monaco including its literature, arts, music, coins, and stamps.
The Chapel of St. Dévote, where Pope Leo will visit, is first mentioned around 1070 as belonging to the Abbey of St. Pons. The chapel was rebuilt and expanded several times. It became a priory in the 13th century and then was acquired by Honoré I, Lord of Monaco, in 1536. It later became a parish church in 1887.
St. Dévote's feast day falls on Jan. 27 and has become an important day for Catholics in Monaco. It is celebrated as a solemnity and a national public holiday.
Her feast day is honored in many ways, but most notably with the burning of the boat. On the evening of Jan. 26, the prince and royal family, the archbishop, clergy, locals, and visitors gather at the chapel. The group prays as the prince and archbishop set a small wooden boat on fire outside the church. The crowd prays, sings, and watches the boat burn, which serves as a reminder of the boat that once carried the martyr to safety and the fire that threatened to erase her memory.
The day after the burning of the boat, on Jan. 27, the faithful continue to celebrate. Catholics attend Mass and then process with relics of St. Dévote past the Prince's Palace of Monaco and through the Rock of Monaco.
Throughout the year the saint is also honored with statues, artwork, and symbols around Monaco, especially near the port where her legend is centered.
In St. Dévote's honor, it is also customary for brides to offer their wedding bouquet to the saint as a way of asking her to bless their marriages. It is a long-standing tradition for the bride of the sovereign prince to lay her bridal bouquet at the Chapel of St. Dévote after the royal wedding ceremony.
Catholic organizations, including EPIC Ministry, the Knights of Columbus, and Catholic Charities Hawaii — as well as many Catholic parishes — are assisting many who have lost homes and livelihoods.
Widely regarded as a tropical paradise, Hawaii was anything but from March 20–22 as two Kona low-pressure systems unleashed heavy rain and strong winds, causing widespread destruction and at least one reported fatality.
The hardest-hit areas included Oahu's North Shore and southeast Maui, which were struck by as much as 46 inches of rain in areas triggering floods, landslides, and widespread destruction. An estimated $1 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and farms has been reported, with hundreds of structures torn off their foundations, roads destroyed, vehicles swept away, and residents left homeless. Surviving structures in impacted areas are not only flooded but also coated with mud.
Among the islands' many Catholic facilities, varying degrees of damage have been reported and relief efforts are underway. Among those taking a leading role are Catholic organizations, including EPIC Ministry, the Knights of Columbus, and Catholic Charities Hawaii — as well as many Catholic parishes.
Father Romple Emwalu is pastor of St. Michael Church in Waialua and serves a parish mission, Sts. Peter and Paul Mission near Waimea Bay, located eight miles away. Both are located on Oahu's North Shore, popular for its surfing, and were the hardest-hit Hawaii Catholic churches in the storms.
Emwalu recalled that for three days "it was windy and rained continuously." While St. Michael's is located on a hillside and did not suffer significant flooding, many homes just below it were severely damaged and one washed away. The surrounding streets were also flooded, as was the parish parking lot and parish school lawn. The Sts. Peter and Paul Mission church also escaped serious damage, but the halls and offices around it were flooded.
As the storms subsided, St. Michael's became a hub for a variety of relief organizations. Food and clean water were distributed, and volunteers arrived to begin the process of clearing debris and cleaning homes.
"Many of the homes of our parishioners were unlivable, with as much as 4 feet of water inside," Emwalu told EWTN News.
Among the Catholic groups that mobilized to help was EPIC Ministry, a lay association of the faithful. While its main purpose, according to its president Dallas Carter, is "to help young adults encounter Christ," a second focus is to help those in need, including helping those in emergency situations.
In the 2023 fire that killed 102 and wiped out the Maui town of Lahaina, for example, EPIC sent 300 volunteers and raised $500,000 to help victims.
Carter lives on Oahu and directly participated in helping North Shore victims. He noted that as the water receded, homes were filled with mud that destroyed residents' possessions, including carpets, furniture, appliances, and clothing. Many of these homes are uninhabitable, he said, "and people are living out of suitcases."
St. Michael's has offered temporary shelter to the displaced, Emwalu explained, while others have gone to live with relatives elsewhere in the islands or to homeless shelters.
Besides housing, the priest said, transportation is difficult as well due to flooded roads and cars covered in water after the storms.
Yet there is plenty of reason to hope, Emwalu said, as many have stepped up to volunteer to help victims and donations have poured in.
"Tragedies like this can really bring out the best in people," Emwalu said. "It's wonderful to see people working together to help one another."
Another particularly hard-hit region of the island was the Kihei area of Maui. Pastor of Kihei's St. Theresa Parish, Father William Kunisch, told EWTN News: "I've lived in Hawaii for 35 years, and it's the worst storm I've ever seen. The rain was torrential."
The parish church flooded, and portions of its parking lot were underwater for a week. The community around the parish was devastated, with roads washed out, telephone poles overturned, power outages widespread, and homes destroyed.
"We had parishioners whose homes were up to their waists in water," Kunisch said. He joined other religious leaders at a local Red Cross relief site to offer spiritual support to victims.
"People were traumatized. They were in disbelief, confused and overwhelmed," he recalled.
Referencing the Lahaina fire, the priest said: "People are bearing a lot."
Karen Powers, director of faith formation at St. Theresa, said the Kona storms reminded her of the flash floods she experienced when she had previously lived in Arizona.
"I had seen that before and how devastating it can be; many people living in Kihei haven't," she said, noting the difficulties with transportation, as portions of the main shoreline road South Kihei were lost to sinkholes, and vehicles parked on roadways were swept away.
Area businesses were also heavily impacted, and according to Powers "employees were afraid to drive their vehicles on the road, concerned the water would push them into the ocean."
Monsignor Terry Watanabe, vicar for Maui and pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Wailuku, was born and reared in Maui and has spent much of his life there. He, too, noted: "It was the worst rainfall I've ever seen; we had 1 to 2 inches come down an hour. The wind was strong, too. It was very unusual."
While the damage to St. Anthony's was minimal, there were catastrophic losses within his parish boundaries. These include the storm's first reported death — a 71-year-old woman who fell into the Wailuku River and was swept out to sea. Friends of a parishioner who built a home in the same area a few years before also saw the structure swept out to sea.
Watanabe also noted that the region was heavily dependent upon the tourist industry and that visitors were either canceling trips due to the rain or leaving early. He said: "I had friends from Kentucky who came for a visit leave 10 days early because of the rain."
Father Kuriakose Nadooparambil, MF, pastor of Maria Lanakila Church in Lahaina, miraculously untouched by the 2023 fire while structures around it were destroyed, expressed his gratitude that flooding in Lahaina was minimal.
"We are blessed. The good Lord continues to protect us," Nadooparambil said.
St. Michael Parish has set up a relief fund to assist flood victims. EPIC Ministry also welcomes donations for its flood relief work.
