Pope competes with Bad Bunny in Spain, urges leaders to reject polarisation

Pope Leo has urged global leaders to avoid dividing their electorates with "sterile simplifications" to gain popularity, calling on leaders to listen to the world's cries for peace, in a speech opening his tour of Spain.

Leo appealed to Spaniards, especially political leaders, to put attacks aside and invest in educating young people to appreciate diversity and complexity rather than shunning them.

"Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarisation seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated," he said.

Visits to homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands were on the agenda for the pontiff, who has angered US President Donald Trump by criticising ‌his anti-immigration policies and the Iran war.

Leo's visit signals a return of papal attention to Europe's Christian roots after Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centres of Christianity in favour of smaller Catholic communities farther away.

Leo is seemingly keen to bring his message of peace, unity and human dignity to a continent sorely polarised over migration, the Russia-Ukraine war and anxiety over artificial intelligence.

Pope vs Bad Bunny

Leo acknowledged was competing for attention with another VIP in Madrid this weekend, with Puerto Rican sensation Bad Bunny performing two shows in the Spanish capital Madrid.

Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane before his arrival in Madrid on Saturday morning local time, Leo acknowledged the appeal of Bad Bunny when he referred to anecdotal reports of a newfound spiritual awakening, especially among young people in Spain.

The American pope said he understood that young adults were sensing a lack of meaning in their lives and mused that his visit might help "awaken" something in them.

"If they are confronted with the question 'Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?' I think many will see Bad Bunny," he said.

"But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know."

About 500,000 people, many of them young Spaniards, poured into a Madrid plaza for an evening prayer vigil on Saturday.

Focus on global leaders

Pope Leo, who has adopted a more assertive tone against the direction of global leadership in recent months, is scheduled to give more than 20 speeches during his first trip to a European Union country outside Italy.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is known to oppose the Iran war, has welcomed the pontiff to meet migrants in the Canary Islands.

Mr Sánchez's government opened a mass amnesty program, allowing an estimated 500,000 ⁠immigrants to apply for legal status.

More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, often in makeshift dinghies, according to the non-profit Caminando Fronteras.

Mr Sánchez is lauded abroad by some for criticising Mr Trump, but at home is under heavy pressure from a string of corruption allegations against his party.

During the visit, the pope will also inaugurate a new tower in Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica and will meet survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the Vatican said.

In a speech welcoming Pope Leo to Spain, King Felipe acknowledged the pain caused by the abuse and said the pope's "clarity and firmness" were "essential in the process of healing and reparation for the harm inflicted".

ABC/wires