The packed June 6-12 itinerary also included public Masses, a Corpus Christi procession in Madrid, an encounter with volunteers, a visit to Barcelona\u2019s Basilica of the Holy Family, known as Sagrada Fam\u00edlia<\/a>, and stops at migrant reception centers in the Canary Islands.<\/p>\n Press briefing in Spain<\/p>\n Coinciding with the Vatican\u2019s release of the pope\u2019s schedule, the Spanish bishops\u2019 conference hosted a press briefing<\/a> with the bishops of Madrid, Barcelona, the Canary Islands and Tenerife.<\/p>\n At the briefing, Archbishop Luis Arg\u00fcello of Valladolid<\/a>, president of the Spanish bishops\u2019 conference, said the papal visit comes at a moment when Pope Leo has emerged as a \u201creference point in the current situation of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor this reason, his words \u2014 undoubtedly words of dialogue, encounter, communion and peace \u2014 will help all of us,\u201d Archbishop Arg\u00fcello said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Madrid<\/p>\n According to the official schedule, upon his arrival June 6, the pope will meet with Spanish King Felipe VI<\/a> and his wife, Queen Letizia, followed by meetings with government authorities and the country\u2019s diplomatic corps.<\/p>\n Noting the country\u2019s climate of political and social tensions, Cardinal Jos\u00e9 Cobo of Madrid<\/a> said the pope\u2019s meetings with political and government leaders during his stop in the Spanish capital were highly anticipated.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a hunger for a visit of this kind at a special moment in our political, social and economic life, because there is also a hunger for reference points, and I believe the pope can be a reference point to give light and direction to many who are searching,\u201d Cardinal Cobo said.<\/p>\n Meeting with young people<\/p>\n In the evening, the pope will visit an emergency homeless shelter operated by Caritas Madrid, before a meeting with young people at the Plaza de Lima, where St. John Paul II celebrated Mass during his 1982 visit to the country.<\/p>\n Cardinal Cobo said the meeting will serve as a \u201cplatform\u201d for the pope to \u201cspeak with the youth of the entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n The following day, the pope will celebrate Mass on the feast of Corpus Christi at Madrid\u2019s Plaza de Cibeles, a celebration Cardinal Cobo confirmed would include a procession reflecting the city\u2019s local traditions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Corpus Christi procession will be beautiful,\u201d he said. \u201cA great many people are involved: those preparing floral carpets, those carrying the platforms, numerous associations. It will not be excessively long for reasons of time and space because we are expecting an enormous crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n After the Mass, the pope will meet privately with members of the Augustinian order, followed by a meeting at Movistar Arena with representatives of the \u201cworld of culture, art, economy and sport,\u201d the Vatican said.<\/p>\n On his final day in Madrid June 8, Pope Leo will meet with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, followed by a highly anticipated address to members of the Spanish Parliament.<\/p>\n Decision to invite pope \u2018unanimous\u2019<\/p>\n When asked if he was concerned that the pope\u2019s address to parliamentarians \u201ccould be politically or ideologically manipulated,\u201d Archbishop Arg\u00fcello said that \u201cwhile it can always happen,\u201d it was important to note that the decision to invite the pope to speak was \u201cunanimous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years, popes have spoken in academic and political institutions throughout the world. Any later interpretations are beyond our control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Adding that the pope would prepare \u201cthe speeches as he sees fit,\u201d Archbishop Arg\u00fcello told journalists that the church was awaiting \u201ca possible new encyclical that seems likely to emphasize the centrality of the human person, human dignity, the common good, dialogue and encounter.\u201d<\/p>\n The president of the Spanish bishops\u2019 conference did not indicate if the encyclical would be released before the visit.<\/p>\n Barcelona<\/p>\n Pope Leo will depart for Barcelona June 9 where he will preside over midday prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia and in the evening will take part in a prayer vigil at the Llu\u00eds Companys Olympic Stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Cardinal Juan Jos\u00e9 Omella of Barcelona, there is \u201cenormous expectation\u201d for the pontiff\u2019s visit and that Pope Leo\u2019s \u201cwords and gestures are reaching people very deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe classical thinkers said that God has three attributes: \u2018bonum, verum et pulchrum\u2019 (the good, the true and the beautiful),\u201d the cardinal said. \u201cI believe that in some way we are expressing this through the Pope\u2019s visit \u2014 the communion of a diverse Church. And we see it every day: diverse, yet united around the universal shepherd, who is the pope. I think this unity will become visible.\u201d<\/p>\n Visit to penitentiary<\/p>\n Pope Leo will begin his first full day in Barcelona with a visit to the Brians 1 Penitentiary Center, followed by a visit to the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, where he will pray the rosary and have lunch with the Benedictine community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cardinal Omella said the penitentiary represented \u201cthe world of sorrow, the deprivation of freedom and everything connected to prison ministry, which is something very present in the life of the Church,\u201d and that the pope \u201cwants to make himself present there.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, the abbey, he continued, represented all the monasteries in Spain and \u201cthe world of contemplatives, which is the praying Church.\u201d<\/p>\n Mass at Sagrada Fam\u00edlia<\/p>\n The cardinal also said anticipation was high for the pope\u2019s evening Mass June 10 at one of the world\u2019s most iconic churches, the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, where he will inaugurate the tower of Jesus Christ<\/a>. At more than 564 feet tall, the tower makes the basilica the tallest Catholic church in the world.<\/p>\n The pope\u2019s visit to the basilica coincides with the 100th anniversary of the death of the basilica\u2019s architect, Antoni Gaud\u00ed<\/a>. While there were hopes for a beatification ceremony at the Mass, the official schedule did not include it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cardinal Omella told journalists that a miracle attributed to Gaud\u00ed\u2019s intercession was being studied and \u201cin a very advanced phase in Rome, but there is nothing further yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Canary Islands<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260506T1401-SPAIN-TRIP-PRESS-CONFERENCE-1819447-1024x682.jpg\")
Under a canopy, Pope Leo XIV carries the Eucharist in a monstrance during a Corpus Christi procession from Rome\u2019s Basilica of St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major June 22, 2025. Thousands of people participated in the procession behind the pope and thousands more lined the streets as the procession passed. (CNS photo\/Vatican Media)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260506T1401-SPAIN-TRIP-PRESS-CONFERENCE-1819442-927x1024.jpg\")
The Basilica of the Holy Family, or Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, in Barcelona, Spain, designed by famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaud\u00ed, is seen in this March 13, 2020, photo. Pope Leo XIV will a visit the famed basilica during his visit to Spain June 6-12, 2026. (OSV News photo\/Nacho Doce, Reuters)<\/p>\n