Pope Leo XIV begins a tour of Spain today that will last until next Friday and will take him first to Madrid, then to Barcelona, and finally to the Canary Islands, where he will learn firsthand about the migratory reality in the archipelago.
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Regarding the papal visit, the Church emphasizes in these preceding weeks that it is an apostolic journey aimed at “confirming Catholics in their faith.” But there will also be other interpretations and an undeniable political and social dimension with messages against polarization, in favor of peace, and for the reception and dignity of migrants, who, as the Pope has already warned given the political stance of the right, cannot be treated “worse than pets.” The polarized climate is a concern for the Vatican Secretariat of State, but at the same time, it offers an opportunity to bring its universal message to a specific case: Spain. The echo of political tension, especially intense in the last two weeks, has crossed Bernini’s colonnade. For Robert Prevost, it represents a risky challenge, but also a unique opportunity.
Sources from the Holy See explain that the Pope “will propose dialogue and culture as instruments to overcome polarization and will remind us that the complexity of the world pushes us to understand it, not to enclose ourselves in differences.” These are seemingly generic words, but applied to the Spanish reality, they acquire a concrete meaning and are a declaration of intent.
The Catalan Church defuses the trigger of the linguistic controversy in time
Despite a rather discreet start to his papacy, especially when compared to his spontaneous predecessor, Prevost has gained notoriety in public conversation in recent months, particularly after confronting Donald Trump on the international stage – more due to the insistence of the American leader than by his own will – with his anti-war message. Furthermore, the Bishop of Rome has laid the groundwork with his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas , to open a highly relevant debate on the role of Artificial Intelligence, who regulates it, and who controls it.
For many, in a moment of global chaos, the Pope has become a kind of moral beacon in the West, even though in a context of secularization, the Church is often seen as an archaic institution that moves at a different pace in modernity.
On a journey where the social character will be in crescendo – the peak being in the Canary Islands stage – Prevost will speak in Congress on Monday. It will be the first time a pope does so and will coincide with a moment of maximum political tension and exasperation, with the Government pressured by corruption cases affecting the socialists and with an instrumental motion of no confidence to oust the Prime Minister and call elections in the opposition’s backroom, although – for now – without options to succeed.
Political dissonance, although Vox maintains the most bitter clash with the Church, comes from Podemos
Whether there will be attempts at political instrumentalization is one of the unknowns accompanying the trip, as there is no doubt that in the political battle everyone will try to turn the water to their own mill. “All trips run the risk of being instrumentalized,” admits a source from the Holy See. “We know – he continues – that it can happen in Spain, precisely because of the situation the country is going through, but it is nothing we haven’t seen before elsewhere.”
On the political front, although everything indicated that tensions would be with Vox, which maintains a conflict with the Episcopal Conference over the migratory issue and national priority, it is Podemos who will ultimately make a statement with their absence in the chamber. “We await the arrival of the Pope with great enthusiasm, with great eagerness, because we believe that this visit can also help us Spaniards to emerge strengthened and fortified as a nation,” Vox maintains, avoiding the fact that in migratory policy the disagreement is total. Nevertheless, Santiago Abascal’s party – present today at the Royal Palace – has toned down its dispute with the prelates.
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The right warns these days of the Government’s intention to appropriate this visit… and the truth is that the Executive has pulled out all the stops to make it a success. Although on core issues for the Church such as abortion or euthanasia the divergence is evident, Moncloa strives to find points of communion with the Holy See – no to war, migratory policy… – and will try to accompany the Pope at all times. So much so that the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will also travel to the Canary Islands even though it was not planned.
The Holy See sees the Spanish scenario as an opportunity to project Robert Prevost’s discourse
Furthermore, since becoming head of the central Executive, the socialist leader, who fares well in the Vatican documents about the visit, will attend a religious celebration for the first time. It will be on Wednesday at the solemn mass of the Sagrada Família.
Separatism has also entered the scene with the linguistic controversy in Catalonia and with protests called, with the Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan José Omella, at the center of the target. Nevertheless, the Catalan Church has defused this trigger in time, and the matter has been resolved before the Pontiff disembarks from the plane. The blessing of the Jesus tower of the Sagrada Família, a moment that will provide one of the most iconic snapshots of this trip, will have a part in Catalan – the language of Antoni Gaudí – and another in Castilian, although in the missal published on Monday it appeared only in Castilian. Omella reiterated yesterday on RAC1 that there will be Catalan both at that moment and in the homily and said that the Pope, not prone to improvisation, is practicing Catalan pronunciation. The matter reached the Vatican, which immediately addressed the problem and opened the door to introducing changes after the efforts of the Catalan bishops.
Another relevant aspect is that, unlike what happened 15 years ago, this time no hostile campaign against the Pontiff’s visit has been articulated, except for some minor criticisms regarding the financial contribution of public administrations.
To narrow down a possible source of conflict, the Vatican announced last night that Pope Leo XIV will meet with victims of sexual abuse by clerics, without specifying the day.
The social dimension of the trip will increase and will be the focus of the speeches in the Canary Islands
And if on Monday there will be an unprecedented and powerful image with a speech before the political establishment that will transcend the ecclesial sphere, no less relevant will be the one the Pope will deliver at the Episcopal Conference. Among the Spanish episcopate there is a disparity of criteria and division… and one of the Pontiff’s obsessions is to work internally for unity. This explains his permissiveness in forms with the most traditionalist sectors, for example, even while maintaining the social outlook and synodal agenda of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who avoided setting foot in Spain since crossing the Vatican walls in 2013.
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