Pope Leo begins Spain visit with praise for government

Pope Leo XIV has started his authoritative sojourn to Spain by praising its government's absorption to wars arsenic good arsenic its enactment for migrants.

Speaking astatine a reception with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia astatine the royal palace successful Madrid, Pope Leo spoke of Spain's "active committedness to bid and solidarity among peoples".

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has clashed with US President Donald Trump implicit Iran, and with Israel implicit the warfare successful Gaza and the Pope hailed Spain's "faithful adherence to planetary instrumentality and multilateralism".

During his seven-day visit, Pope Leo volition conscionable victims who experienced intersexual maltreatment wrong the Catholic Church, arsenic good arsenic groups that look aft the payment of migrants.

Immigration is simply a divisive contented successful Spain, and the Pope's absorption connected the contented during his circuit could beryllium seen arsenic enactment for the socialist premier minister.

He volition besides present an unprecedented code earlier the Spanish parliament.

The connection of peace, the Pope said successful Madrid, "at contiguous unluckily strikes immoderate arsenic naive and others arsenic confrontational" but should alternatively beryllium "welcomed by those who bash not unopen themselves disconnected successful preconceived ideologies".

Speaking to reporters connected the level earlier landing, the Pope said intersexual maltreatment remained "an unfastened wound" for the Church.

A 2023 survey by the Spanish ombudsman's office, which investigates nationalist complaints, estimated that 1.1% of the colonisation had suffered intersexual maltreatment astatine the hands of members of the clergy oregon individuals linked to the Church - the equivalent of 440,000 people.

The Church has contested these findings.

On Saturday, King Felipe hailed Pope Leo's "clarity and firmness" connected the issue, saying it was "essential successful the process of healing and reparation of the harm inflicted".

In the Canary Islands aboriginal successful the trip, the Pope volition beryllium joined by Sanchez to honour thousands of migrants who person died trying to scope Europe.

Nearly 47,000 radical reached the Canary Islands successful 2024 and the Spanish non-government organisation Caminando Fronteras estimates much than 9,000 migrants person died trying.

On a lighter note, erstwhile asked by a newsman connected the formation to Spain whether helium preferred Barcelona oregon Real Madrid, Leo replied with emblematic diplomatic tact that the Pope supported each teams.

"But Prevost is for Real Madrid," helium added - utilizing his commencement sanction Robert Francis Prevost.