Pope Leo XIV arrives in Madrid, calls clerical abuse 'an open wound' ahead of week-long Spain visit
Pope Leo XIV touched down in Madrid on Saturday morning, launching a seven-day apostolic journey that will take him to Barcelona and the Canary Islands, with immigration and the Church's abuse crisis at the centre of his agenda.
Pope Leo XIV began his week-long visit to Spain on Saturday, landing at Madrid's Adolfo Suárez/Barajas airport shortly before 10:15 local time. He was greeted on the tarmac by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, before proceeding to the Royal Palace for a state honours ceremony. The trip, the first by a pontiff to Spain in 15 years, runs until 12 June and includes stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.
Abuse crisis addressed on the flight
Speaking to the 80 journalists travelling aboard the papal plane from Rome, Leo XIV addressed the sexual abuse scandal within the Spanish Church directly.
The Vatican confirmed on Friday evening that the Pope will meet with abuse victims during the trip, though the location and identities of participants were withheld to protect their privacy. The pontiff acknowledged the limits of such encounters, telling reporters it was impossible to meet all those who had requested a meeting.I underline the fact that I personally have always worked to institute commissions, to create norms, and I will continue to do so, as will the whole Church, because it is an open wound.
EL PAÍS journalists handed the Pope a USB drive containing six reports sent to the Spanish Church and the Vatican since 2018, with more than 800 testimonies, as well as a list of 64 bishops and 26 religious superiors accused of covering up cases. The newspaper also gave him a book on the case of the Spanish Jesuit Father Pica in Bolivia.
Madrid programme: Caritas, vigil, and Sunday Mass
After the state reception, the Pope's Saturday schedule included a visit to a Caritas centre working with homeless people and an evening prayer vigil with young people in central Madrid, where hundreds of thousands of faithful were expected. On Sunday morning, Leo XIV will celebrate Mass in front of Madrid's city hall. On Monday, he will deliver an address before the Spanish parliament — a move described by Portuguese agency Lusa as carrying an unprecedented political weight for an apostolic journey.
Barcelona and the Canary Islands
On Tuesday, the Pope travels to Barcelona, where he will meet with prisoners and engage with the cultural legacy of Antoni Gaudí, the architect of the Sagrada Família, which this year became the tallest Catholic temple in the world. The final leg, on 11 and 12 June, takes him to the Canary Islands, fulfilling a wish of his predecessor Francis. The archipelago is a frontline for migration from Africa, receiving thousands of people arriving in precarious boats known as pateras or cayucos.
- 2023
- 39910 people
- 2024
- 46843 people
- 2025
- 17788 people
In 2025, official data recorded 17,788 people arriving by patera to the Canaries, following record years in 2023 (39,910) and 2024 (46,843). The NGO Caminando Fronteras reported that 3,100 people died at sea on this route last year, which it classifies as the deadliest migration route in the world.
A changing Catholic landscape
Spain remains a traditional bastion of Catholicism in Europe, but the number of faithful has declined sharply. A survey cited by stern.de indicates that 53 percent of Spaniards now identify as Catholic — roughly 20 percentage points fewer than 15 years ago — and only 16 percent consider themselves practising Catholics. The last papal visit was by Benedict XVI in 2010, who returned the following year for World Youth Day.
- Arrival at Madrid-Barajas airport, greeted by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and PM Pedro Sánchez
- State honours ceremony at the Royal Palace of Madrid
- Visit to Caritas centre for homeless people
- Evening prayer vigil with young people in central Madrid
- Sunday Mass in front of Madrid city hall
- Address before the Spanish parliament
- Travel to Barcelona; meetings with prisoners and cultural events focused on Gaudí
- Arrival in the Canary Islands for two days focused on immigration and the patera phenomenon
- Conclusion of the apostolic journey
Language tensions and institutional scope
Ahead of the visit, Catalan nationalist parties protested that all of the Pope's interventions would be delivered in Spanish, with only a few greetings expected in Catalan. The agenda blends religious, institutional, social, and cultural dimensions: official events with the Royal Family and government, outreach to migrants, homeless people, and prisoners, and a focus on Gaudí's architectural heritage in Barcelona.
