Pope Leo XIV travels to Spain focusing on migrants and polarization
Pope Leo
The first American head of the Catholic Church is expected to draw large crowds on the June 6-12 trip, which also includes stops in Madrid, the Montserrat Monastery and the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the west coast of Africa.
Leo XIV will meet at the last stop with migrants and organizations dedicated to helping them.
The situation facing migrants is deeply important to the Pope, said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office. "They are people, and their stories should move us."
Pope Leo XIV is expected to condemn wars and polarization.
The pontiff, who has adopted a more incisive tone against the direction of global leadership in recent months, has scheduled more than 20 speeches, becoming the first pope to address the Spanish parliament.
According to Bruni, he is likely to criticize the wars that are ravaging the world and call for dialogue to overcome growing political and social polarization during his visit to Spain.
Leo XIV spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pope last May and will speak Spanish for most of the trip. But when he encounters migrants on the island of Tenerife, he expects to speak French, as many came from French-speaking Africa.
In sharp contrast to many major Western powers, especially Donald Trump's United States, the government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has launched a mass amnesty program, allowing around 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.
More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, often in improvised boats, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.
Sanchez has been praised abroad by some for criticizing Trump, but domestically he is under intense pressure due to a series of corruption allegations against his party.
Leo
Later on Saturday, the pontiff will meet young people in the square in front of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of the Real Madrid football club, and visit a Catholic charity for the homeless.
*by Joshua McElwee of Reuters
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Source: CNN