In visiting the capital of Spain, Pope Leo XIV returned the papacy to one of the historic centers of Catholic Europe \u2014 and he received a rapturous response.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists en route to Madrid, the Holy Father acknowledged<\/a>, in an understated way, that it had been \u201cquite some time\u201d since there had been a papal visit to Spain. Pope Francis did not visit the historic Catholic cities of Europe \u2014 Madrid and Paris, most notably \u2014 except for World Youth Day, visiting Krak\u00f3w (2016) and Lisbon (2023). Unlike his predecessor, Leo began his apostolic journey to Spain with a stop in the capital, before visiting Barcelona, Montserrat and the Canary Islands.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the night of June 8, a historic chapter was written in the life of the Church. Pope Leo joined St. John Paul II as one of only two Popes to draw a capacity crowd at Santiago Bernab\u00e9u Stadium.<\/p>\n Forty-four years earlier, in 1982, St. John Paul II had drawn a massive crowd to the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/aiNSd8GtM2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) June 9, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Plans have already been announced for a visit to Paris in September.<\/p>\n Spain is a typical European country, largely secular but with a long Catholic history, and currently led by a socialist prime minister advancing a socially liberal agenda. Yet Leo\u2019s days in Madrid seemed to indicate that the capital was eager to celebrate its Catholic culture and history.<\/p>\n Three moments from the days in Madrid stood out, which began with the kind of pageantry that only a Catholic crown can provide \u2014 mounted horses in procession, grand palaces, the nation\u2019s queens dressed in white. Spain\u2019s royal family is the most prominent Catholic monarchy left in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n Prayer Vigil<\/p>\n On June 6, his first night in Madrid, Pope Leo led a prayer vigil<\/a> for young people, culminating in Eucharistic adoration. The evening drew some 500,000 pilgrims. Earlier in the day, aboard the papal flight, Leo casually mentioned that the reggaeton sensation from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny, would be on tour in Spain during his visit. Between Bad Bunny and the Pope, some would choose the former and some the latter, Leo observed, and the contrast would be interesting. Leo got more than his share with a half million strong (Bad Bunny\u2019s June 6 concert was reportedly attended by around 60,000), for an evening of shared witness, silence and prayer.<\/p>\n The prayer vigil had been highly anticipated due to the most memorable moment of the last papal visit to Spain, in 2011 for World Youth Day. At the prayer vigil a fierce tempest swept over the 2 million present, with Pope Benedict XVI being shielded by multiple umbrellas. He refused to leave, continuing with his vestments dishevelled and his hair windswept. Calm returned, and a great silence descended as Benedict led the drenched young people in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The silence after the storm was a signature moment of his pontificate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Leo\u2019s structured conversation<\/a> with the young people included him speaking about his favorite saints \u2014 \u201capart from St. Augustine.\u201d He chose saints from history who are less well-known today: St. John Chrysostom and two Spaniards, St. Thomas of Villanueva and St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, a missionary in Peru.<\/p>\n \u201cReflecting on the lives of these saints, I said to myself, as did St. Augustine: If they were able to do it, why not me? (cf. Confessions, VIII, 27),\u201d the Holy Father said. \u201cIt is a question I am pleased to share with you too, as I invite you to choose examples of a good life that are inspiring both to you and to others.\u201d<\/p>\n The meeting in Madrid also echoed one of the first such papal encounters, in 1987 in Chile. There, St. John Paul II repeatedly encouraged<\/a> the young people, in an impassioned address, to seek Christ above all else, as more than a wise man, more than a prophet, more than a social reformer \u2014 \u201cmucho mas (much more), mucho mas, mucho mas!\u201d<\/p>\n Leo, for his part, spontaneously added several times, \u201cseek truth,\u201d a truth that would lead, as it did for St. Augustine, to Christ. On Saturday evening in Madrid, the threads of papal vigils with young people over 40 years were woven together.<\/p>\n Corpus Christi Procession<\/p>\n The second great moment in Madrid was the Corpus Christi procession on Sunday morning. Only a great Catholic capital can operate on that scale, with a million and half people taking part.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spain is a land of processions \u2014 the famous Semana Santa in Seville for Holy Week, and the most elaborate Corpus Christi procession on the planet, in Toledo. For the Holy Father to lead the procession in Madrid was a high moment for Spain\u2019s Catholic culture. Leo warned<\/a> that it ought not be only about the past but to inform the present, too:<\/p>\n \u201cThe historical memory of the Corpus Christi processions is not confined to wistful nostalgia. Instead, it stands as an invitation in the present moment, in our daily lives, in our relationships, in society, and in the building of the future. \u2026 Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today.\u201d<\/p>\n Spanish Parliament Address<\/p>\n On Monday morning, Leo became the first pope to address the Spanish parliament<\/a>. His address was what one might expect from an address to legislators \u2014 he quoted Benedict\u2019s address to the German federal parliament in 2011. The Holy Father exhorted them<\/a> to protect the right to life, promote the family, to care for the vulnerable. Leo framed his remarks in the context of Spain\u2019s \u201cSalamanca\u201d school, in which Catholic theologians \u2014 he named Francisco de Vitoria \u2014 laid the foundation for the recognition of universal human rights.<\/p>\n He concluded with a lyrical reflection on the beauty of the parliamentary chamber itself.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this Chamber, natural light streams in through the skylight that crowns the room. That light coming from above may remind us that politics, too, must acknowledge a force that precedes and transcends it,\u201d he said. \u201cLikewise, the paintings on the upper part of the main wall, depicting the reception of the Gospel and the Decalogue, remind us of something essential. Without confusing the political order with the religious one, these symbols invite us to recognize that modern freedom has also been shaped by a long education of conscience, deeply marked by the Christian tradition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Holy Father added, \u201cIn that inner school, people learned that law must serve the good, that justice sets limits on force, that power requires legitimacy, that the poor belong fully to the community, that the foreigner must be welcomed in accordance with his dignity, and that human life can never be treated as a commodity.\u201d<\/p>\n He then concluded with a bold exhortation:<\/p>\n \u201cI invite you, then, to lift your gaze to the world around you, not to turn away from reality, but to remember that every decision by public authorities affects real people, especially those who have less power to make their voices heard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The response was intense and emotional \u2014 even though many in the chamber favor policies that Leo opposes. The deputies rose in an ovation that went on and on \u2026 and on, punctuated by cries of \u201cViva el Papa!”<\/p>\n They simply would not stop, even as the Holy Father stood silently, a bit overwhelmed. Finally, after about seven minutes<\/a>, the speaker of the parliament suggested that the papal party take its leave. Only after Leo left the chamber did the ovation cease.<\/p>\n There were other notable moments<\/a> in Madrid, including at Santiago Bernab\u00e9u Stadium, Spain\u2019s most famous football (soccer) stadium \u2014 often called the \u201ccathedral\u201d of football.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose that, for a football player, scoring a goal in this stadium is something that leaves a lasting impression for life,\u201d Leo spontaneously began. \u201cCardinal Jos\u00e9: today the Church of Madrid scored a spectacular goal that will go down in history!\u201d<\/p>\n The same could be said about Leo\u2019s three days in Madrid.<\/p>\n This group of religious sisters is touching hearts across Spain with the way they bid farewell to Pope Leo.<\/p>\n Standing outside the Apostolic Nunciature, they waved their white handkerchiefs as the Pope departed for his final event in Madrid before traveling to Barcelona. The\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/gTUj1Fci2q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) June 9, 2026<\/a>
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