The Vatican confirms the Pope’s visit to Spain between June 6 and 12

Eduardo González Pope Leo XIV will make an apostolic journey to Spain from June 6 to 12, 2026, as confirmed last week by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni. "Accepting the invitation of the Head of State and the ecclesiastical authorities of the country, the Holy Father Leo XIV will make an Apostolic Journey to Spain from June 6 to 12, 2026," Bruni declared on February 25. "The program of the trip will be announced in due course," he added, according to the Holy See website. This will be the first papal visit to Spain since 2011, when Benedict XVI attended World Youth Day. Leo XIV's visit had been unofficially confirmed on January 23 by King Felipe VI during the traditional annual reception for the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Spain. “We ask that you convey to the Holy Father the affection with which our country awaits his historic visit,” the Monarch told the Vatican Nuncio in Madrid, Archbishop Piero Pioppo. The Pope's visit had also been announced on January 9 by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, after meeting at the Vatican with the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, precisely to prepare for Leo XIV's trip to Spain. According to the Cardinal of Madrid, the initiative for the trip had “come directly from the Pope,” who had “spoken with each bishop” to gather their opinions. Furthermore, while lacking further details, José Cobo indicated that same day that the visit would include Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. Regarding this, sources close to the trip have indicated to several media outlets that the Pope could visit Madrid from June 6 to 9, before traveling to Barcelona, where he could arrive on June 10. Finally, Leo XIV would stop in the Canary Islands before returning to Rome on June 12. In the capital, according to the same sources, the Pope would be received by the King and Queen and could participate in a large vigil with young people at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, before traveling to the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. He would then travel to Barcelona to attend the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia temple, coinciding with the centenary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí, who is currently in the process of beatification. Finally, the Pope would visit the Canary Islands between June 11 and 12. In October 2024, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, invited the then Pope Francis to visit the Canary Islands in 2025 to "learn about the reality of the Canarian people" in light of the influx of migrants. The Pope himself later confessed his desire to travel to the Canary Islands, but he was never able to do so.

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