Pope Leo visits billionaires' tax haven Monaco, urges wealthy to help needy

Pope Leo on Saturday made a day trip to Monaco, a tax-free microstate on the French ⁠Riviera known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts.

MONACO — Pope Leo on Saturday made a day trip to Monaco, a tax-free microstate on the French ⁠Riviera known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts, and urged its residents to share their wealth and help those in need.

"In God's eyes, nothing is received in vain!" the pope told crowds waving yellow flags under a brilliant sun. "Every good placed in our hands... bears an intrinsic need not to be held back, but to be shared, so that everyone's life may be better."

Leo ⁠is the first pope in nearly five centuries to visit ​the wealthy ⁠Mediterranean enclave. The Vatican said he wanted to show that small countries can make an outsized impact on the world stage.

He arrived after a 90-minute helicopter ride from the Vatican and met first with Prince ⁠Albert, Monaco's head of state and son of the late Hollywood star Grace Kelly.

The pope appeared to ​reiterate his ⁠message that the wealthy should help those less ‌fortunate in his official gift to Albert.