Pope Leo XIV visits Spain as Church seeks a fresh voice in changing Europe

Pope Leo XIV has begun a weeklong visit to Spain, bringing the American pontiff to one of Europe’s historic centres of Christianity at a moment of political tension, social change and renewed curiosity about faith.

Issued on: 06/06/2026 - 11:03

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The trip, his first to Spain and the first by any pope to the country in 15 years, opened in Madrid on Saturday with a welcome from King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Later, Leo will lead a prayer vigil with young people, many of whom will be seeing a pope on Spanish soil for the first time.

The Vatican has confirmed that Leo will also meet survivors of clergy sexual abuse during the visit. The meeting underlines how deeply the crisis continues to shape papal travel, especially in Spain, where the Catholic hierarchy has only belatedly begun confronting decades of abuse and cover-up.

The visit suggests Leo is returning papal attention to Europe and its Christian roots. Pope Francis largely stayed away from the continent’s traditional Catholic centres, focusing instead on smaller communities farther afield. Leo, by contrast, has already made stops in Monaco and San Marino, with a visit to France planned for September.

His message in Spain is expected to focus on peace, unity and human dignity as Europe grapples with Russia’s war in Ukraine, the fallout from the US-Israeli war in Iran and anxiety over artificial intelligence. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said young people would be a major audience, as the Church tries to help them imagine the future in an unsettled age.

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A historic address in Madrid

The centrepiece of Leo’s time in the capital will be his speech on Monday to both chambers of the Spanish Parliament. Although St John Paul II visited Spain five times and Pope Benedict XVI three times, no pope has ever addressed Las Cortes Generales - the lower and upper houses of the Spanish parliament.

Leo will speak to a sharply divided legislature, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party under pressure from corruption scandals. Conservative opponents, including the Popular Party and far-right Vox, have called for Sánchez to resign before elections due in 2027 and have sharply criticised his government’s migration policies.

Madrid has embraced the spectacle. Posters of Leo have appeared across metro stations, billboards and subway cars, while souvenir shops are selling papal magnets and posters. Bakeries have joined in with limited-edition pope-themed cakes and pastries. The city will also be busy with another major visitor: Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who is performing two concerts in Madrid during the papal stay.

Some protests are expected, not least because the visit is costing about €15 million . Even so, Leo’s speech to Parliament will mark an important milestone for Spain’s Catholic Church, which is trying to rebuild credibility after abuse revelations.

Spain’s relationship with Catholicism has changed dramatically since the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975. As the country moved into democracy, religious identity declined sharply. The share of Spaniards calling themselves Catholic has fallen from 90 percent in the 1970s to 55 percent in 2025, according to polling by Spain’s state opinion agency. Of those Catholics, only 19 percent say they attend Mass regularly.

Yet there are hints of a more open spiritual mood, especially among younger Spaniards. Sociologist Narciso Michavila Núñez, president of the polling firm GAD3, said surveys show new interest in faith among Generation Z. He and others have pointed to the success of Spanish pop star Rosalía’s album Lux, which is overtly spiritual, as one sign of a changing cultural atmosphere.

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Migrants and memory

After Madrid, Leo will travel to Barcelona, where he will celebrate Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica on the centenary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí. The Catalan architect is on the path towards possible sainthood, though the Vatican has said no announcement on his canonisation is expected.

During the 10 June Mass, Leo will inaugurate the basilica’s central spire, the Tower of Jesus Christ. When it was moved into place earlier this year, the tower made Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world.

Leo will end his visit in the Canary Islands, fulfilling a wish of Francis by travelling to the Spanish archipelago that has become a key arrival point for migrants leaving West Africa. There, he will meet migrants and humanitarian groups caring for them, and is expected to throw a wreath of flowers into the sea in memory of those who have died during the dangerous Atlantic crossing.

The gesture will take place in Las Palmas, at the port that became known in 2020 as the “Dock of Shame” after thousands of migrants were forced to sleep outdoors for weeks during a surge in arrivals.

Francis made care for migrants and refugees a hallmark of his papacy, and Leo has continued that emphasis, calling for dignified treatment of migrants, including in his native United States.

The visit also comes as Spain’s government takes a notably different approach from many European neighbours and the US by planning to grant legal status to potentially hundreds of thousands of unauthorised immigrants already living and working in the country. Sánchez has argued that legal migration can help Spain’s ageing workforce and low birthrate.

(With newswires)