Pope expressed greatest concern to bishops about far-right instrumentalizing Church in Spain

During a closed meeting in November 2025, Pope Leo XIV told the nine-member executive committee of the Spanish Episcopal Conference that his greatest concern in that country is the ideology of the far-right. According to details revealed by the media, the Pope warned against ultra-conservative movements that try to instrumentalize the Church as a political weapon to gain Catholic votes. „Es una invención que un obispo de esos que colabora con la inmigración le ha dicho a EL PAÍS” (It is an invention that a bishop from those who collaborate with immigration told EL PAÍS.) — Santiago Abascal. This information was confirmed in February 2026, when Spanish media, including EL PAÍS and eldiario.es, published consistent reports. Relations between the Catholic Church and right-wing movements in Spain have a long and complex history, dating back to the times of the Francisco Franco dictatorship (1939-1975), when the Church officially supported the regime. After the democratic transformation and accession to the European Union, Spanish society underwent significant secularization, and the traditional altar-throne alliance loosened, although conservative Catholic circles still play an important political role. In response to these reports, the Spanish Episcopal Conference published a brief press note on February 24. The institution admitted that the Pope spoke in November about "the risks of subordinating faith to ideologies," but emphasized that he did not name any specific group. This cautious statement confirmed the fact that a conversation on this topic took place, while avoiding direct reference to the controversial phrasing about the far-right. Meanwhile, in a separate development, the bishops of the Canary Islands, José Mazuelos and Eloy Santiago, appealed on the same day for an end to political polarization around key social issues. "Let's not make politics with immigrants to polarize, to deepen divisions, because in the end, it is always the excluded and the poorest who suffer," they stated, clearly distancing themselves from the instrumentalization of these topics. Chronology of events around the papal warning: November 17, 2025 — Meeting in the Vatican; February 23, 2026 — Warning revealed; February 24, 2026 — Reactions from institutions and politicians The reaction from the Spanish far-right was bipolar. On one hand, the Vox party tried to avoid open conflict with the Vatican, suggesting strategic caution towards papal authority in a country with deep Catholic traditions. On the other hand, the party's leader himself, Santiago Abascal, decisively attacked the credibility of the reports. During a rally in Salamanca, he stated they were an "invention" by one of the bishops involved in helping immigrants, thereby suggesting the source of the information had specific, left-wing political motivations. This reaction illustrates the internal tension between the need to maintain appearances of respect for the Church institution and the necessity to discredit an inconvenient message. The whole affair also reveals deeper lines of division within the Spanish Church itself, between open and more restrictive currents, which Pope Leo XIV – described as more diplomatic and less populist than his predecessor – is trying to lead.