Pope Leo’s address to the Spanish authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps
Royal Palace of Madrid – Saturday, 6 June 2026
Your Majesties,
Royal Highnesses,
Distinguished Representatives of Civil Society,
Esteemed members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am grateful to the Lord for this opportunity to meet with you and express my gratitude for the invitation to undertake this apostolic journey to Spain.
The journey will unfold in several stages, each revealing a different facet of this great country’s rich history with the Gospel, which dates back nearly two millennia.
Tradition has always linked the initial evangelization of the Iberian Peninsula to the preaching of the Apostle James the Greater.
This connection is of considerable theological importance, for it expresses the local church’s awareness of its continuity with the apostolic mission that began at Pentecost.
While not exhausting the multifaceted identity of your people, the ancient bond between the Christian faith and this land has profoundly shaped your culture and represents a source of hope and direction amid the challenges we must face together as a human family today.
I think of the expressions of popular piety that serve as an authentic dramatization of salvation in every city and town, in step with the rhythm of the year and life’s various contexts.
Along with the artistic and musical heritage, as well as the many confraternities and charitable associations, they bear witness to the fruitful encounter between Jesus Christ and your people, a passionate people who love life and express it!
I come among you to affirm, encourage and instill a renewed fidelity to the Gospel among believers,
as well as a deeper reconciliation and collaboration among the various elements of this nation.
After all, your history shows that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity.
The message of peace is welcomed by those who are open to the truth, even if it strikes some as naïve and others as confrontational.
As Pope Francis taught us, there is, in fact,
“a constant tension between ideas and realities.
Realities simply are, whereas ideas are worked out.
There has to be continuous dialogue between the two, lest ideas become detached from realities.
It is dangerous to dwell in the realm of words alone, of images and rhetoric” (Evangelii Gaudium, 231).
He concluded that “realities are greater than ideas”.
The truth is always greater than we are, which is why it amazes us and draws us toward paths of purification and reconciliation, in which dialogue with others — and with the Other with a capital “O” — becomes fundamentally important.
In this respect, I would like to mention two prominent figures from this country who have enriched the life of the Church and the spiritual journey of many for five centuries, even beyond the borders of Spain. I am referring to John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila, whose passion for the divine Mystery brought them together as friends.
Their mysticism is one of “open eyes,” that is, not detached from history, but rather penetrating to the root of issues and the heart of reality.
In particular, when interpreting the transformations and weathering the tensions that characterize our time, it can be helpful to consider the theme of night, which was dear to Saint John of the Cross.
We are celebrating the Jubilee Year of this saint.
Paradoxically, in his quest for light, he learned to appreciate the “happy night” (The Dark Night of the Soul, 3), the time when the soul is liberated from its presumptions of knowledge and possession.
Today, the unknown still frightens us and triggers the darkness of reason and the violence of emotions in many people.
We may feel overwhelmed by a sense of being lost without a map, as if we have lost our bearings.
This is why, even in public life, we need men and women who can perceive light in the darkness, a new beginning—like the dawn of a truth that, for now, blinds us.
However, if we trust and find peace, it will gently lead us toward itself.
“O night that guided me! O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that joined together Beloved and beloved, lover transformed in the Beloved!” (The Dark Night of the Soul 5).
Seemingly shaken by terrible imbalances and conflicts, our age cries out from its depths for peace, a new understanding of the human person and its inviolable dignity, and a civilization of love.
Magnifica Humanitas, 186
186. When Saint Paul VI coined the phrase “the civilization of love, (1970) the world was in the midst of the Cold War, an arms race and severe economic instability. In that context, the Church proposed an alternative path to that of ideological opposition between systems and envisioned a social order in which justice and charity are intertwined and love becomes the guiding principle of economic, political and cultural life. Today, we must resolutely recover this vision, for the civilization of love is no naïve utopia, but a demanding project, which consists in translating charity into structures of justice, giving institutional form to fraternity and regarding others — whether individuals or peoples — as allies necessary for building the common good. As the Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti reminded us, only this social love is capable of becoming a culture and a norm, and thereby of bringing about a stable international order, transforming mere armed coexistence into a community with a shared future.
St. Teresa of Avila describes this same process using the image of the interior castle.
As one moves from room to room toward the innermost chamber — that is, toward one’s own heart, the sanctuary of truth — the space expands, the mind opens, challenges are overcome, tensions dissipate and others find their place.
The universe becomes a home.
This is not an escape into the self, but a radical openness to the “Totus Alius et Semper Novus” (“Totally Different and Always New”) achieved when we return to ourselves.
This dimension of the human person is the reason why religious freedom and freedom of conscience must be protected.
Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated.
This is why we need culture, introspection, and quality education.
We need transcendence.
Even in these dark times, faithful men and women have advanced from one room to another until justice and peace embrace in their conscience.
It is through their freedom that we learn to be free.
This service is not marked by imposition, but by the witness of the Gospel attested to by a multitude of martyrs and saints.
Today, the Church is ready to serve a people in search of reconciliation and peace.
In the interest of truth, I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarizing narratives of their societal realities and histories in order to overcome sterile simplifications and appreciate complexity.
I see a particular vocation for Europe here, in which Spain plays a unique and fundamental role. If the “Old Continent” wishes to remain young, this is the gift it can offer the world. Youth is found in those who feel they have a meaningful future and mission.
Those who are heirs of a great history must appreciate and study complexity, learn to embrace it as a blessing, and flee from identity-based approaches that seem to explain everything yet only fill the world with “ghosts” and enemies.
New technologies have created an artificial environment in which our fundamental choices are tested, prejudices are magnified, critical thinking is weakened, and dominant interests spread death wishes.
Nevertheless, goodness can prevail and spread.
Those with economic, political, and institutional responsibilities must make a qualitative leap forward by changing the direction of investments in schools, universities, research, local communities, and civil society, which serve as a nurturing ground for participation and cultural mediation.
Security, which we often expect to find in weapons and walls, is best achieved by moving forward together and growing side by side.
Your history is a testament to this.
The presence of Islam on the Iberian Peninsula, for example, was a long-standing political, cultural, and religious reality.
During that period, there was not only confrontation but also an attempt to create a space for interaction, conversation, and dialogue about truth among Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
At the School of Translators, which was established by Alfonso X (the Wise), experts from all three religions collaborated to translate texts from the rich Arabic, Greek, and Hebrew heritages. This contributed to the dissemination of works by philosophers such as Averroes (1126–1198) and Maimonides (1138–1204).
The cities of Córdoba and Toledo, in particular, became centers of dialogue between languages, religions and knowledge.
This is the truth told by European cities: their historical stratification, the fabric of solidarity that has shaped their differences over the centuries, transforming inevitable conflicts into new beginnings.
As another noble son of this land taught us, trials and failures offer an opportunity for reevaluation. Ignatius of Loyola possessed this kind of audacity, giving credence to the desolations and consolations of his heart through an exercise of discernment and imagination that led him to prefer peace over arms and the saints to the powerful.
He understood that the good to which he was drawn was not illusory, and so his crisis became instead a grace.
The same can happen with the “novelties” that unsettle us today and often cause division.
“We must avoid humiliating or antagonistic words, opting rather for a clarity that sheds light and a frankness that unlocks new possibilities.
We cannot condone naïve enthusiasms, nor fuel unfounded fears.
Instead, let us establish standards for discernment — the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home and peace — and let us translate these standards into practices such as responsible planning, the assessment of human and social impact, the inclusion of the most vulnerable, the promotion of digital literacy and guiding research and industry toward justice and peace”
(Magnifica Humanitas, 14 – building for the common good requires an evangelical language.
We must avoid humiliating or antagonistic words, opting rather for a clarity that sheds light and a frankness that unlocks new possibilities. We cannot condone naïve enthusiasms, nor fuel unfounded fears. Instead, let us establish standards for discernment — the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home and peace — and let us translate these standards into practices such as responsible planning, the assessment of human and social impact, the inclusion of the most vulnerable, the promotion of digital literacy and guiding research and industry toward justice and peace.).
Your Majesties, Royal Highnesses, and Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to express my gratitude to your country for its faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism.
This commitment is evident through its active dedication to fostering peace and solidarity among peoples.
At the same time, I encourage you to cultivate dialogue and civic friendship within your own country. Take into account the perspectives of the poor and the young when envisioning the future.
Harmonize the claims for autonomy and unity.
Advance the cause of unity in Europe—not in opposition to other powers, but as a gift to the entire human family.
God bless Spain!
