Leo XIV receives the King and Queen in audience ahead of the Pope’s upcoming apostolic journey to Spain

The Diplomat The King and Queen of Spain were received in audience this Friday by Pope Leo XIV, less than three months before the first apostolic journey by a Pope to Spain in fifteen years. According to the Royal Household, the King and Queen were accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, and the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, María Isabel Celaá. The King and Queen's last audience at the Vatican was held in June 2014, where they were received by Pope Francis. King Felipe and Queen Letizia first met with Pope Leo XIV in May 2015, after the Mass inaugurating his pontificate, where they invited him to visit Spain. Following the audience and private conversation with the Pope in the private library, the King and Queen were received by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. According to a statement from the Holy See, this meeting addressed the Pope's upcoming apostolic journey, the first visit by a Pontiff to Spain since 2011, when Benedict XVI attended World Youth Day. The visit is in response to the official invitation of King Felipe VI and the Spanish Episcopal Conference. The Pope's visit was confirmed on February 25 by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, who stated that "the itinerary will be announced in due course," according to the Holy See website. However, it had already been confirmed on January 23 by King Felipe VI himself during the traditional annual reception for the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Spain. Sources close to the trip have indicated to several media outlets that the Pontiff could visit Madrid from June 6 to 9, before traveling to Barcelona, where he could arrive on June 10. Finally, Leo XIV would visit the Canary Islands before returning to Rome on June 12. Furthermore, during the meeting between the King and Queen and Parolin and Gallagher, several regional and international issues were discussed, "emphasizing the importance of a constant commitment to peace and the strengthening of the principles and values that form the basis of international coexistence," according to the Holy See statement. Protocanon of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome The King and Queen's visit to the Vatican included the King's investiture as Protocanon of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, one of the papal basilicas, which enjoys extraterritorial rights, as established in the Lateran Treaty signed in 1929 between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy, then headed by Victor Emmanuel III. In his speech, the King dedicated a few words to the previous Pope. “Just over a year ago, on the day Pope Francis died, I emphasized that his pontificate had been an ethical beacon for humanity, a reference point for believers and non-believers alike, due to his closeness, wisdom, and compassion, particularly towards the most needy.” “The Queen and I have perceived that same sensitivity once again in his successor to the Chair of Peter, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, who has just received us in audience in Vatican City and whom we will have the honor and joy of welcoming to Spain next June,” he continued. “We have spoken about the times we are living in, about these days in which we so desperately need clarity—clarity of deed and word, clarity of heart and conscience,” Felipe VI stated. “Let us maintain hope, above the reality that assails us each day, that all of us, each in our respective circumstances and responsibilities, may be, for others, a small beacon of harmony, generosity, and dedication to the cause of the common good. Together, against selfishness and indifference, let us try to bring to the world the same light that today, in this Roman spring that is beginning, illuminates the Basilica of Saint Mary Major,” he added. The Basilica of Saint Mary Major has been linked to the Spanish Monarchy since the reign of Charles I in the 16th century, although the Catholic Monarchs had already contributed financially to its embellishment. Consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered the first church dedicated to her in the West, it has since become a bridge between the Roman faith and the Spanish Crown. On October 7, 1647, Pope Innocent X, at the request of King Philip IV, established the so-called Pious Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore through the Apostolic Constitution Sacri Apostolatus. This agreement stipulated that, in exchange for an annual income paid to the basilica's chapter, prayers and liturgical services would be held in honor of the Spanish Crown. Since then, successive Spanish monarchs have been benefactors of the basilica and have contributed to its restoration and improvement. Following the signing of the Concordat with the Holy See in 1953, it was agreed that all Spanish kings would be "Honorary Protocanons" of the Liberian Chapter of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. In 2018, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía visited the basilica for the last time. Juan Carlos I remains Honorary Protocanon of the Basilica, a title he accepted on a trip to the City of Rome in 1977, more than a year after his proclamation as head of state.

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