Monaco (AFP) - Pope Leo XIV on Saturday denounced the widening gap between the haves and have-nots as he visited Monaco, a millionaires’ playground that is the surprise pick for the first western European trip of his papacy.

Arriving by helicopter from Rome as the first pope to visit the principality in nearly half a millenium, Leo was greeted by Monaco’s ruler Prince Albert II and his wife, Princess Charlene, at Monte Carlo’s heliport under radiant sunshine.

Just after his arrival at the tiny principality on the French Riviera, the pope condemned what he termed the widening “chasms between the poor and the rich”, ahead of an afternoon mass before an expected 15,000 people in the Louis II stadium.

In an address in French from the balcony of the Prince’s Palace, the first US-born pontiff launched into an address which touched on the themes of social justice and inequality dear to his predecessor, Pope Francis.

He 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”.

And within walking distance of Monaco’s casinos, Leo insisted that wealth should serve “law and justice, especially at a historical moment when displays of force and the logic of omnipotence wound the world and jeopardise peace”, in a clear reference to the growing number of conflicts across the globe.

- Bells peal -

Bells pealed across the principality to mark Leo’s arrival in the microstate nestled on the Mediterranean between France and Italy.

Some 5,000 locals gathered outside the palace to hear the pope speak, many brandishing flags in the red and white of the principality and the yellow and white of the Vatican.

“I’m trembling - it’s so emotional, and I’m so proud,” says Alix Pearce, a 34-year-old sales representative who came with her family.

After his speech, more than 1,500 young people welcomed Leo to the square in front of the Church of Saint Devota, dedicated to the patron saint of Monaco.

But while cheers went up along the popemobile’s route, the full-scale jubilee hoped for by the authorities did not come to pass.

In the tiny city state’s streets billboards showing the pontiff in his church regalia offered a stark contrast to gleaming sports cars and jostling crowds of tourists.

“The pope brings people together,” said Eric Battaglia, a 64-year-old Monegasque artist and musician. “In a world that has been at war for the past few years, it’s a blessing that there are people like him, trying to ensure that people remain human.”

Pope Leo was slated to make speeches addressing environmental protection – which is a cause close to Prince Albert’s heart – Monaco’s role in Europe and “the protection of life in all its forms”, according to the Vatican’s press office director, Matteo Bruni.

That phrase encompasses opposition to abortion, banned in the principality, and euthanasia, but also serves as condemnation of all conflict, at a time of war in the Middle East which is destabilising the global economy.

Monaco is one of the few places in Europe where Catholicism remains the state religion, and it has long-standing diplomatic ties with the Holy See.

Though only around eight percent of citizens identify as practising Catholics, church pews are one of the few places where billionaires, cleaning ladies and construction workers mingle.

- ‘Powerful sign’ -

“This visit is a powerful sign testifying to the Principality’s importance within the Catholic Christian world,” Prince Albert said in an interview with local daily Nice-Matin.

The prince added he shared with the Vatican common causes including international solidarity and “the promotion of peace through sport”.

Though some locals professed indifference to the papal visit, Isabel Fissore, the 62-year-old owner of a small jewellery shop, had managed to secure invitations to attend meetings with the pontiff.

“It’s historic: the two smallest states in the world coming together to spread a message of peace, light and love throughout the world. We may be a small nation, yet our hearts are big,” Fissore told AFP.