Pope Leo
During his first trip to the United States, from June 6 to 12, he will visit an immigration center in the country, address Spain’s deeply polarized parliament and visit Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia cathedral. He is also expected to meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse.
This southern European country is a microcosm of the political tensions seen within the United States and other countries.
The pope was formally invited by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has vocally opposed US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and promoted a welcoming policy toward immigrants. Sanchez also defended the Chicago-born pope after President Trump criticized his stance on war in April, saying, “Some sow the seeds of war, but Leo XIV sows the seeds of peace.”
In recent weeks, the Pope has continued to speak out against war, using religious language to justify military conflict. He has made immigration a priority since his election last May.
Leo’s first major theological document, published last month, called the admission of immigrants and refugees a “litmus test” for social justice and called the treatment of immigrants in the United States “inhumane.”
The Pope’s visit to Spain will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a group of Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa that is a major entry point for new arrivals to Europe. During his stay in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, he will meet with migrants and organizations working to integrate them into society, and pay tribute to those who died at sea attempting the perilous journey to Europe.
The visit comes a few weeks before Leo’s trip to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, an important gateway into Europe for people fleeing their countries and crossing the Mediterranean on July 4.
Ahead of his trip to Spain, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the Pope wanted to approach immigration on a “human level.” The Catholic Church in Spain has extensive philanthropy and works to support immigrants.
Like the United States, Spain has a polarized political culture, and Leo XIV will face that partisanship when he becomes the first pope to address both houses of Spain’s parliament.
While Sanchez’s left-wing government has faced challenges, including corruption scandals, it has gained support from conservative factions such as the nationalist and populist right-wing party Vox.
Emilio Sáenz Frances, a professor of history and international relations at Madrid’s Pontifical University of Comillas, told CNN: “The government, currently facing a period of accelerating political deterioration and plagued by multiple corruption scandals, will likely try to present itself as being on the right side of history, along with the Pope, on issues such as opposition to the Iran war and immigration policy.”
But he added: “In such a situation, any message from the pope on political ethics, national integrity and corruption could easily backlash rather than strengthen the government’s position.”
Sáenz-Frances said the pope would need to bring in “considerable political brainpower” to navigate the tensions and that the success of the visit would depend on Leo’s ability to “work through Spain’s deeply polarized environment and appeal to broader concerns.”
While Sanchez shares the pope’s views on war and immigration, his government has also clashed with the local Catholic church over abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and with some church voices over monuments to former dictator General Francisco Franco, a Spanish nationalist leader during the civil war.
But the pope, who speaks fluent Spanish, is no stranger to the country, having visited dozens of times. He is also well versed in the political situation.
The Pope’s knowledge of Spain is aided by his maternal Spanish ancestry and years of experience working in Peru, where Catholicism was introduced through Spanish missionaries.
“Pope Leo speaks very good Spanish, so nothing is lost in translation,” Paloma García Ovejero, a Madrid native and former papal spokesperson who is now media director for the Catholic charity Mary’s Meals International, told CNN.
“That’s important when you’re talking about some complex issues, like polarization, immigration, church-state friction. But he’s shown he’s not afraid to delve into sensitive issues.”
Spain is Leo’s first major trip to Europe since his election and the first visit by a pope to the country since 2011.
While his predecessor, Pope Francis, never visited Spain and tended to bypass traditional Catholic centers in Europe, the first American pope has made Spain a top priority.
Leo is planning to go to France in September. France is also a traditionally Catholic country, but like its neighbor to the south, it is a highly secularized country.
“It is true that Spain is highly secularized in parts,” says García Ovejero. “But it also has one of the highest church attendance rates in Europe.”
Spain’s deep Catholic roots will come to light when the Pope visits Catalonia after his stay in Madrid. While in Barcelona, he will visit Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and inaugurate the church’s new Tower of Jesus Christ. Leo plans to celebrate Mass at the church on the 100th anniversary of architect Gaudi’s death.
Leo’s itinerary also includes a visit to Montserrat, a place of great spiritual and cultural importance to the Catalan region, where he will visit an 11th-century Benedictine monastery and have lunch with the resident monks.
The pope’s visit comes at a time when many young people in Europe are showing interest in the Church and the number of people who are considering becoming Catholics is increasing. Leo’s visit is expected to cause great excitement and draw a large crowd.
During his visit, the Pope will hold a meeting with young people at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of soccer club Real Madrid.
Cardinal José Cobo Cano, the archbishop of Madrid, has hinted that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who is performing in the Spanish capital during the papal visit, may hold some talks with Leo. Bad Bunny and the Pope share concerns about immigration policy, with Bad Bunny declaring “ICE out” at the Grammy Awards in February. His Spanish-language performance during the Super Bowl halftime show also drew the ire of President Trump.
Leo argued that if the Catholic Church wants to be a reliable moral voice, it must also face the darkness of its own past.
In his latest encyclical, the Pope apologized for the church’s failure to condemn slavery. While in Spain, he will meet privately with victims of clergy abuse, although such meetings are usually not announced in advance.
Spain has been rocked by abuse scandals, with an independent commission in 2023 reporting that more than 400,000 people were victims of abuse by clergy and laity in church institutions decades ago.
