Pope Leo XIV carries the Eucharist in a monstrance during a Corpus Christi procession from Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major June 22, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
The Vatican on 6 May released the official schedule for Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic visit to Spain, a seven-day trip 6-12 June that will take the pontiff to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
The packed itinerary includes meetings with Spain’s royal family and political leaders, along with encounters with migrants, prisoners, young people and Catholic communities across the country.
Public Masses, a Corpus Christi procession in Madrid, a visit to Barcelona’s Basilica of the Holy Family, known as Sagrada Família and stops at migrant reception centers in the Canary Islands are also planned.
Spanish bishops, speaking at a press briefing after the schedule’s release, said the visit comes at a time of political and social tension and described Pope Leo as a needed “reference point” for dialogue, encounter and peace.
In Madrid, the pope will meet King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before addressing Spain’s parliament.
In Barcelona, he will inaugurate the new Jesus Christ tower at the Sagrada Família. The trip concludes in the Canary Islands with events highlighting the church’s ministry to migrants arriving along the Atlantic route.