EVENTS

POPE LEO XIV IN MADRID

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Madrid  ||  | 06 June 2026
Iniziative (EN) - Maison des Alliances (EN)

A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” took part in the key events of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Madrid.
Secretary-General Michele Capasso summarised the highlights of the pastoral visit, stating:
“I was deeply moved because Spain is a country of great significance to us. As if in a film, I saw many friends who have supported the ‘United States of the World’ for 40 years: Cardinals Parolin and Artime, King Felipe VI, and Pope Leo XIV himself. I was struck by the calm power of his words, when, for example, he said: ‘… a just society defends every human life, the poor, peace, freedom…’. But I felt great emotion during the seven-minute standing ovation from the members of the Spanish Parliament following the speech by Pope Leo XIV, the first Pontiff to visit the Congress of Deputies, the seat of the country’s institutional, legal and democratic life. He calls for peace through the courage of negotiation, denouncing rearmament in Europe and the world: ‘True security stems from respect for international law’. He called for the defence of life and the family, as well as the protection of religious freedom. He asked for concrete responses to the migration crisis to ensure reception and integration.”
The visit was packed with many significant moments: from the meeting with the institutions to that with the Augustinians; from Holy Mass to the Vigil with young people; from the visit to Caritas to the meeting with the world of culture and art; from the Corpus Christi procession to the meeting at the Bernabéu Stadium with the diocesan community.