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Pope Leo in Spain
Pope Leo XIV urged Spaniards to stop “fanning the flames of polarization” as he arrived in Spain for the first visit by a pope in 15 years, opening a weeklong trip that began in Madrid and was framed by CBS News as a moment of political turmoil for the Socialist-led government and a credibility crisis for the Catholic Church.
“At a crossroads of Madrid's humble neighborhoods, in Caritas' 24-hour shelter for the homeless in Carabanchel, Niurka and Khadri spoke openly to tell the Pope how this corner of the capital, where the last shall be first, changed their lives”
At the Royal Palace in Madrid, Leo told reporters that “Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished,” and he invited Spaniards to set aside “the divisive and polarizing narratives of your societal reality and history.”
The visit also placed migration and social justice at the center of the agenda, with DW reporting that Leo arrived and said sexual abuse within the Catholic Church remained “an open wound” as he began a six-day tour expected to focus on immigration and social justice.
Le Monde reported that Leo thanked Spain for its “faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism,” and it said he praised Spain’s “active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples” while the government faced pressure from the Popular Party and far-right Vox.
In Madrid’s Plaza de Lima, CBS News said an estimated 500,000 people—“many of them young”—cheered “This is the youth of the pope” during an evening prayer vigil as Leo’s message of peace, unity, and human dignity was delivered at the start of the trip.
Church, politics, and migrants
The Washington Post described a realignment between Catholicism and politics in Spain, quoting Bishop José Mazuelos Pérez saying, “The far right in Spain wants to copy the far right in the United States,” and warning about “To go to war with the bishops over the issue of migration.”
In the same polarized setting, Le Monde reported that Vox leader Santiago Abascal stood up and applauded Leo’s speech, while it said Leo later met beneficiaries of a centre for the homeless run by Catholic charity Caritas.
CNN reported that Leo’s speech in front of King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace included the line that the message of peace “at present unfortunately strikes some as naïve and others as confrontational,” and it added that Leo said it was welcomed by those “who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies.”
NBC News said Leo’s visit would include meeting abuse victims and that he told journalists on the plane, “Abuses are an open wound,” while it also described his expected focus on migrants in the Canary Islands.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Leo’s trip runs through June 12 and includes stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, and it said the pope arrived as the first pontiff to visit Spain in 15 years with a focus on migration, peace, and dialogue.
What’s at stake next
The Guardian said Leo’s opening speech warned that “human dignity continues to be violated,” and it reported that he urged leaders to reject polarisation while his tour included meeting homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands.
“Pope Leo XIV begins Spain visit with focus on migration Speaking to reporters aboard flight from Rome, pope describes clergy sexual abuse as ‘open wound’ Alyssa Mcmurtry 06 June 2026•Update: 06 June 2026 OVIEDO, Spain Pope Leo XIV arrived in Spain on Saturday for a weeklong visit focused on migration, peace and dialogue, becoming the first pontiff to visit the country in 15 years”
Le Monde reported that Leo’s seven-day state visit would include an unprecedented address to the Spanish parliament and a meeting with victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, and it said he told reporters on the plane that abuse remained “an open wound.”
Heritage Times reported that Pope Leo praised Spain’s “active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples,” and it said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had clashed with US President Donald Trump over Iran and with Israel over the war in Gaza while Leo hailed Spain’s “faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism.”
In Madrid, El País said the pope’s first visit was to Cáritas Madrid’s 24-Hour Center CEDIA in the Lucero neighborhood, Latina district, which serves about 2,500 people a year, mainly undocumented immigrants and homeless people, and it quoted Leo’s line to the city’s archbishop: “whoever is in Madrid is from Madrid.”
El País also reported that the center’s director, Juanjo Gómez, described “Women and men scarred by the wounds of the street: discarded, without papers, without job opportunities or without residence,” and it said the pope signed the guestbook with “Let yourselves be moved by the look of those who need your help and welcome them with the charity of Christ.”
