Pope Leo XIV in Spain: “Lift up your gaze!”

Pope Leo XIV visited Spain from 6 to 12 June 2026, the first papal visit to the country since 2011. The motto of the journey was “Lift up your gaze!” (cf. Jn 4:35).

Where he went

The program took him to Madrid, Barcelona and the Abbey of Montserrat, where he prayed the rosary, and then to the Canary Islands, one of the main arrival points for migrants crossing from Africa. It included liturgical celebrations in Madrid and Barcelona; Barcelona also marked the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, with the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família on the schedule.

Migrants, the poor and the wounded

In the Canary Islands the Pope met migrants in reception centers and the local Church that welcomes them. He also met abuse survivors who asked to be heard, prisoners, young people and the poor, and mentioned a child who read him a letter at a parish.

The message

• Unity: he said the enthusiasm of the Spanish people suggests a desire for unity on a foundation that is neither ideological nor based on narrow interests.
• Dialogue: he urged Spaniards to overcome division through communion and “unity in diversity.”
• Migration: he asked Christians to reread the Gospel with an openness to the exchange of cultural gifts, acknowledging that the issue calls for coordinated action.
• Hope: the world needs to hear the Gospel of hope, he said, in the face of a “deceptive model of development.”

Reflecting on the trip at his general audience on 17 June, he said the people of God “gave me great comfort through their joyful expression of their faith and affection.”