Pope Leo XIV arrived in Spain on Saturday for a week-long visit to one of Europe’s traditional centers of Christianity.
Upon arriving in Madrid, Leo told reporters that sexual abuse remains “an open wound” within the Catholic Church. His visit is expected to focus on immigration and social justice.
According to the planned schedule, the Vatican said the Pope would:
- Start by welcoming King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia at the Royal Palace in Madrid
- Attend a prayer vigil near Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium, where 400,000 people are expected
- Meet the youth at the intersection outside the stadium
- Attend Mass in the city center on Sunday, where up to a million people are expected.
- give a speech in the spanish parliament
- Bless the new tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, now the tallest church in the world
- Meet some of the victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests
- End your visit with a two-day stay in the Canary Islands, where Pope Leo will meet migrants and the humanitarian organizations caring for them
Pope to address Parliament
It is US-born Pope Leo’s first visit to an EU country outside Italy and the first papal visit to Spain in more than 15 years.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the Pope’s main message would be to help young people “imagine a future, even in an age of the powerful, where the Church seeks to promote holy people.”
The Pope’s speech to both houses of Spain’s parliament on Monday will highlight the visit. No Pope has addressed the Spanish Parliament before.
It comes as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces increasing political pressure over corruption scandals.
Spain’s changing religious identity
The Pope’s visit comes at a time when Spain’s Catholic identity is going through a crisis:
- Spaniards identifying as Catholic in the 1970s: 90%
- Spaniards identifying as Catholic in 2025: 55%
- Catholics who regularly attend Mass: 19%
Meanwhile, Pope Leo’s image has appeared on subway cars, billboards and subway advertisements throughout Madrid, while souvenir shops are selling papal paraphernalia and bakeries are offering limited edition papal-themed cakes and pastries.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko
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