King Felipe and Queen Letizia are set to be the first royals to
welcome Pope Leo on a visit to their home country.
The Pope is expected to travel to Spain this summer for a visit
that would take him to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary
Islands.
It’s understood the islands, in particular, are important to Leo
XIV to see as he wants to spend time in areas that are seen as
hotspots for immigration.
Since his election as Pope in May 2025, Leo has spoken several
times on immigration and urged reflection and contemplation to see
migrants as ‘brothers and sisters’ rather than as problems to the
countries where they arrive.
Letizia meet with Pope Leo XIV at his papal inauguration on 18 May
2025 (© Casa de S.M. el Rey)
The visit to Spain was revealed by Cardinal José Cobo Cano, the
Archbishop of Madrid, who said plans were under way for
arrangements following a meeting with a top Vatican official.
Reports that the Papal visit to Spain could be in June haven’t
been confirmed with Cardinal Cobo saying timings were still being
decided.
It’s understood that the visit could also see a visit to the
Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona – its architect, Antonio Gaudi,
died in 1926 and is now considered a potential candidate for
beatification.
Charles and Queen Camilla to the Vatican last year
(Royal Family/ Vatican Media)
It would be the first papal visit to Spain since 2011, when Pope
Benedict XVI spent several days in the country. That was during the
reign of Felipe’s father, King Juan Carlos. This would be the first
time that King Felipe has hosted a papal visit.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia met Pope Leo during his
inauguration Mass which they attended alongside royalty from around
Europe.
Pope Francis never visited Spain during his time as Pontiff but
is understood to have been keen to travel to the Canary Islands to
show support for migrants.
Pope Leo’s first foreign trip following his election was to
Türkiye and Lebanon in November 2025. During that visit, he said a
potential journey to Spain was ”more than a hope”.
Before becoming Pope, Leo XIV had strong ties with South
America, spending many years as a priest in Peru. It’s been
reported that the Pope is hoping to return to the country soon.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
