Salvatore Cernuzio – Vatican
The topics the Pope will address in his 22 speeches and meetings in Spain include peace, disarmament, unity, youth, culture, new technologies, migration, as well as an encouragement to the Church, which still has much to say on various levels.
A Great Journey and Numerous Meetings
“There’s no denying it, the anticipation is immense,” Matteo Bruni began during the presentation of the program and details of the Pope’s pilgrimage to Spain.
During the journey, which will take place from June 6–12, the Pope will visit cities and regions, covering a total of approximately 2,500 kilometers. A total of half a million faithful are expected to meet Leo XIV during various events.
The Director of the Press Office pointed to Spain’s multicultural traditions, as well as its intellectual tradition, including the School of Salamanca, where scholastic theology and international law met in the 16th century, giving rise to reflections on human rights and the dignity of the person.
Spain is also the homeland of great saints, such as John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila, whose thought – as he noted – remains prophetically relevant to contemporary challenges.
Themes of the Journey
In Spain, the Holy Father will meet with representatives of the Church and public institutions, as well as with thousands of young people, families, and personalities from the world of sports, culture, and entertainment.
Dialogue between the Church, politics, and culture as tools for overcoming polarization, and reflection on technological and human progress – also in light of the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas – will be the main axes of the Pope’s 23 addresses in Spain, including speeches, greetings, and homilies.
One of the key themes will be peace and the issue of disarmament.
The Voice of the Church
The Holy Father’s visit is also intended to be an impetus for the Church in Spain, allowing it to fully participate in public debate as a constructive element – stated the Director of the Holy See Press Office.
He also mentioned the issue of defending “every life, especially when it is most fragile.” This area also includes the dramatic phenomenon of migration, which will gain particular significance during the Pope’s visit to the ports of the Canary Islands – a place marked in recent years by human and family tragedies related to thousands of migrants arriving via the so-called Atlantic route.
In the Canary Islands, the Pope will learn about the stories of migrants, the efforts to welcome them, but will also see the place of missionaries and saints who set out from here to bring the Gospel to the world.
Meeting with the People and Their Faith
Before that, however, will be Madrid and Barcelona, and the Sagrada Familia with its profound symbolism of faith. The Pope will visit this basilica on the centenary of Gaudí’s death – June 10.
Leo XIV – Bruni indicated – is going to a strongly secularized society, but one that simultaneously has a deeply rooted Christian tradition, still present in cultural references and beyond.
It will also be a meeting with the faith of the people, still connected to religious traditions such as processions (the Pope will participate in the Corpus Christi procession on Sunday, June 7), which “does not close itself in churches, but goes out into the streets.”
This is not – as emphasized, referring to a well-known phrase by Pope Francis – a “museum-faith,” but a “fruitful faith for the future.”
The youth of Spain and the world will also play a significant role. To them – as Matteo Bruni noted – a “word full of content will be addressed, allowing them to imagine the future together; in a time of strong people, the Church should commit to giving birth to holy people.”
Between Institutions, Places of Solidarity, and Symbols of Atlantic Borders
In addition to the content, the images from the Pope’s journey through Spain will also be valuable: in the Royal Palace and the Congress of Deputies, in the Movistar Arena and at the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid; in Montserrat Abbey and in the Sagrada Familia, where the Pope will inaugurate the Jesus Tower – the culmination of the architectural work – giving his blessing to the people and participating in a light and fireworks show.
The program also includes a visit to the port of Arguineguín in Gran Canaria, for years referred to as “muelle de la vergüenza” (“quay of shame”) due to the conditions of extreme precariousness and overcrowding of thousands of migrants mainly from West Africa.
One of the first points of the Holy Father’s visit will be a visit to the “Cedia 24 Horas” center, which provides reception and accompaniment to people in difficult situations and homeless people in the Lucero district.
