Star Metro - Pope calls for end to polarisation on Spain visit

Leo also thanked Spain, whose Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has clashed with US President Donald Trump over Iran and with Israel over the war in Gaza, for its "faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism".

Speaking at the royal palace in Madrid, where he was received by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, he praised Spain's "active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples".

The US-born pontiff himself has been harshly criticised by Trump for his anti-war views.

He said the message of peace "at present unfortunately strikes some as naive and others as confrontational" but should instead be "welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies".

In contrast with many of its European allies, Spain under Sanchez's left-wing government has a relatively liberal immigration policy.

But the government is under pressure from the main conservative Popular Party and far-right, anti-immigration Vox, the third political force in the country.

Among the attendees who stood up and applauded Leo's speech was Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who has spearheaded virulent criticism of the left-wing government on migration among other matters.

- 'Open wound' -

The seven-day state visit, also set to focus on social justice and inequality, will include an unprecedented address to the Spanish parliament and a meeting with victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Speaking to reporters on the plane before landing in the Spanish capital, Leo said abuse remained "an open wound".

Some 200,000 minors are estimated to have suffered abuse in Spain since 1940, according to a 2023 report from Spain's national ombudsman.

King Felipe hailed the pope's "clarity and firmness" on the issue, saying they were "essential in the process of healing and reparation of the damage inflicted".

Sanchez's government and the Catholic Church in Spain signed an agreement in March to compensate victims after years of reticence and opacity from the Church hierarchy.

Later on Saturday, the 70-year-old pontiff will lead a prayer vigil near Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium where 400,000 mostly young people are expected.

Leo told journalists on the plane he was "very pleased by the reports" that young people were increasingly interested in the Catholic Church.

"They realise there's an emptiness, and a lack of a sense of meaning, and perhaps my visiting is helping to awaken even further something," he said.

His arrival in Madrid coincides with a series of concerts by Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny, with some observers pointing to youth being torn between spirituality and music.

"I think many will see Bad Bunny. But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something," Leo said of the conflicting loyalties.

- Focus on migration -

On Sunday, around a million people are set to attend the pope's mass in Madrid city centre.

Leo will then travel to Barcelona where on Wednesday he will bless the new tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica -- now the world's tallest church.

In the Canary Islands on Thursday and Friday, Leo will be joined by Sanchez to honour thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach Europe.

The Canaries -- Spanish islands off the coast of west Africa -- have become the main entry point for irregular migrants into Spain after long and dangerous trips from Africa.

The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates 1,172 migrants died or went missing along the route in 2025 -- a figure only slightly lower than the 1,215 people in 2024.

Some 15,000 members of the national police and Guardia Civil are being deployed for the visit, alongside local police forces.

Leo's predecessor Francis largely overlooked many of Europe's traditional bastions of Catholicism where, like Spain, religious observance has been falling rapidly.

A.Desjardins--SMC