The Pope will receive Pedro Sánchez at the Vatican ten days before his apostolic journey to Spain

Eduardo González Pope Leo XIV will receive the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, in audience ten days before his apostolic journey to Spain, scheduled for June 6-12, as confirmed by sources at Moncloa Palace to The Diplomat. In principle, the Prime Minister's visit to the Vatican is planned for May 27, ten days before the start of the first apostolic visit by a Pope to Spain in fifteen years. The sources could not provide further details about Sánchez's agenda in Rome. According to a statement released by Moncloa Palace on Wednesday, the Pope will visit the Spanish cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In the capital, the King and Queen will offer Leo XIV a welcoming ceremony in his honor, and the Pope will meet with the Prime Minister and deliver a speech in the Congress of Deputies. The last papal visit to Spain was in 2011, when Benedict XVI attended World Youth Day. This time, the apostolic journey is in response to an official invitation from King Felipe VI and the Spanish Episcopal Conference. According to sources close to the trip earlier this year, the Pope will visit Madrid from June 6 to 9 and travel to Barcelona on June 10. Finally, Leo XIV will stop in the Canary Islands before returning to Rome on June 12. In Madrid, according to the same sources, the Pope, in addition to being received by the King and Queen and Prime Minister Sánchez, will 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 will then travel to Barcelona to attend the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia, coinciding with the centenary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí, who is currently in the process of beatification. Finally, the Pope will visit the Canary Islands between June 11 and 12. In October 2024, Pedro Sánchez invited the previous 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 was never able to do so. The American Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope on May 8, 2025, taking the name of Pope Leo XIV. Following his election, Pedro Sánchez conveyed his “congratulations to the entire Catholic Church on the election of the new Pope Leo XIV” and expressed his hope that “his Pontificate will contribute to strengthening dialogue and the defense of human rights in a world that needs hope and unity.” Around the same time, the Government sent a formal communication to the Vatican requesting an audience with the Prime Minister. Pedro Sánchez was unable to attend the Mass inaugurating the papacy of Leo XIV, celebrated in St. Peter's Square on May 18, 2025, because it coincided with his trip to Baghdad, Iraq, to attend the Arab League Summit. Spain was represented by the King and Queen; the then First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero; the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; the Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños; the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, Isabel Celaá; and the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The King and Queen were received in audience by Pope Leo XIV on March 20, accompanied by Félix Bolaños and María Isabel Celaá. Separately, on May 4th, the Pope received Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares at the Vatican, where they discussed, among other matters, his upcoming visit to Spain, his rejection of war, and his support for international law and multilateralism. The minister was granted a surprise audience, as it was not on either his personal or the Vatican's agenda.

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