Prince Albert II of Monaco has already paid an
official visit to the Pope in Rome in the past. But 12 January 2013 will be the first time Benedict XVI will welcome him together with his wife, former South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock.
The two married in July 2011 after she converted to Catholicism so she could be admitted to the royal wedding in the Monégasque church of Sainte-Dévote.
During the visit, the prince will renew his invitation to the Pope to visit the Principality of Monaco, the small 200 hectare independent and sovereign state (a territory four times the size of the Vatican) on the Côte d'Azur, where Catholicism is the state religion.
Albert II has been to the Vatican for three official meetings: the mass celebration for the inauguration of Benedict XVI’s pontificate on 24 April 2005, just days after his father’s death.
The beloved Prince Ranieri III, husband of the unforgettable Grace Kelly, who passed away just four days after John Paul II.
During his last visit to the Vatican, Prince Albert II of Monaco spoke to Benedict XVI and Cardinal Bertone about “international current affairs,” the “integral development of peoples,” the “protection of natural and environmental resources,” as well as covering themes such as the “defence of life in all its stages.”
Albert II is faced with an increasingly secular and pluralistic mentality within Monégasque society, with regard to ethical issues.
A clear sign of this was the national Council’s decision to vote in favour of the depenalization of abortion.