<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>King Felipe VI unofficially confirmed this Friday the upcoming visit to Spain by Pope Leo XIV, the first by a Roman Pontiff to our country in fifteen years. This visit had already been announced, albeit unofficially, by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, in early January.</strong></h4> "We ask you to convey to the Holy Father the affection with which our country awaits his historic visit," the King told the Vatican Nuncio in Madrid, Archbishop Piero Pioppo, during the traditional annual reception for the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Spain. Archbishop Pioppo had previously addressed the gathering in his capacity as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. The Pope's visit was announced on January 9th by 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, Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra, specifically to prepare for Leo XIV's trip to Spain. If it takes place, it would be the first papal visit to Spain since 2011, when Benedict XVI attended World Youth Day. Pope Leo XIV met last October with Queen Letizia, who had traveled to Rome in her capacity as Special Ambassador for Nutrition for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to participate in the official ceremony for World Food Day. At that event, the Pope and the Queen denounced the use of hunger as a "weapon of war in some parts of the world." For now, the trip of Leo XIV has not been officially confirmed, but “the fact that this possibility is being considered is a cause for hope and joy for everyone, both for civil authorities and for the Church,” Cobo told reporters after the meeting. According to the Cardinal of Madrid, the initiative for the trip “came directly from the Pope,” who “has been speaking with each bishop” to gather their opinions. In any case, Cobo could not confirm that the visit would take place in June. “We cannot confirm it, because it also depends on what the Pope deems appropriate and his schedule, which is complicated,” the archbishop stated, according to the Archdiocese website. What the cardinal did reveal is that the visit could include Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, although there are other options, such as Segovia or Toledo. “There are a thousand invitations; we have presented him with the list of all of them,” he added. Sources close to the trip have indicated to several media outlets that the Pope could visit Madrid from June 6 to 9, before traveling on to the Canary Islands. to Barcelona, where he could arrive on June 10. Finally, Leo XIV would visit the Canary Islands before returning to Rome on June 12. In the capital, 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 will then travel to Barcelona, where he will 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 Pontiff would visit the Canary Islands between June 11 and 12. In October 2024, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, invited the previous Pope, Francis, to visit the Canary Islands in 2025 to “learn about the reality of the Canarian people” due to the arrival of migratory flows. The Pope himself later confessed that he wished to travel to the Canary Islands, but was never able to. to do so.
