Pope Leo XIV called on world leaders from Madrid on Saturday 6/06 to stop dividing voters with “sterile simplifications,” asking them to listen to the world’s calls for peace, at the beginning of his seven-day tour of Spain.
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The first American pope, who has provoked the anger of US President Donald Trump with his criticism of his immigration policy and the war in Iran, visited a homeless center managed by the church in Madrid yesterday, while in the coming days he is scheduled to meet with migrants in the Canary Islands.
Before his arrival in the Spanish capital, the pope said he hopes this tour will serve as an example to the world for respecting “every human being.”
“Today the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have increased rather than decreased, and human dignity continues to be violated,” Leo XIV denounced in a speech before Spanish King Felipe VI at the palace.
“I call on all of you to set aside the divisive and polarizing rhetoric of your social reality and history, so that you may overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity,” he added.
According to the pope, technology is partly responsible for creating an environment in which prejudices are magnified and critical thinking is weakened.
He invoked Spain’s history as an example of peaceful coexistence between religions and cultures, referring to how Christians, Muslims and Jews collaborated during the Middle Ages to enhance human knowledge by translating Arabic texts into Latin, Spanish and Hebrew at the School of Translators in Toledo. “Your very history demonstrates that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what promotes stability and prosperity,” he emphasized.
Massive crowds in central Madrid
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in central Madrid to see the pope, the first to visit Spain since 2011. Some waved Vatican and Spanish flags or held babies high to be blessed, as Leo moved in the papal vehicle from which he was again seen making the “6-7” gesture, which is popular among young people.
A survey conducted in 2025 by Fundacion SM concluded that among young people in Spain there is a significant rise in interest in Catholicism, with 28.8% declaring themselves Catholic compared to 17.6% in 2020.
In the afternoon, Leo XIV visited a homeless center where he heard the stories of migrants who had received help to settle when they first arrived in Madrid. Unlike other Western countries, the government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez implements a mass amnesty program, allowing about 500,000 migrants to apply for legal status.
The “competition” with Bad Bunny
The pope’s visit to Madrid coincides with concerts by Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny and local church officials have hinted that the two might meet.
While Bad Bunny was giving a concert at the Metropolitano stadium of football team Atletico Madrid, the pope participated in a vigil with about 600,000 young people outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, home of Real Madrid.
“In the face of the emptiness of indifference and conformity before the violence of war and lies, you must be the sparks of a new humanity,” he called to those gathered.
During his flight from Rome to Madrid, the pope joked that he is competing with Bad Bunny for young people’s attention. “If they are faced with the question of whether to see Bad Bunny or the pope, I think many will go to see Bad Bunny,” he said, before adding: “But I think there will be some here to see the pope too.”
Leo XIV is scheduled to deliver more than 20 speeches during his first trip to a European Union country outside Italy and will be the first pope to address the Spanish parliament.
Furthermore, during his visit to Spain he will meet with victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the Vatican announced, adding that more details will be provided after the meeting.
Some victims complained that they were excluded from the meeting and asked Leo XIV to listen to them in a “truly inclusive” way, and that victim compensation from the church should include legal recognition, lifelong psychological care and adequate compensation.
“We don’t want a photo with the pope: we want rights and compensation for all victims,” said a collective of groups representing victims in a statement.
A 2023 report by the Spanish Human Rights Ombudsman estimated that hundreds of thousands of people in the country were sexually abused by clergy over decades, while similar scandals have shaken the Catholic Church internationally.
