His Catalan address surprised many and hinted at growing global risks. Tensions over clerical abuse and migration added controversy to the warm public welcome.
Barcelona, June 9 – Pope Leo XIV spoke Catalan, a language considered an important part of regional identity, arriving in Barcelona for the second stop of his week-long tour of Spain, during which he warned that conflicts threaten a global crisis.
As in Madrid, where he opened the first papal visit to Spain in 15 years, Leo was greeted by large crowds as he arrived at Barcelona’s 14th-century cathedral to lead the noonday prayer. Thousands pressed against the barriers in the sun, waving flags and shouting: “Long live the pope!”
“Dear brothers and sisters”
– Pope Leo XIV
Regional officials expected the pope to address them in Catalan, the language widely used in schools, churches and local politics.
Catalan, whose public presence was restricted during Franco’s dictatorship and ended in 1975, is a central part of the region’s identity, where in 2017 the region attempted to separate from Spain. The idea of independence has since waned, and the region is now led by a leader who does not support separatism.
On Monday, when Leo arrived at the Spanish Parliament, Miriam Nogueras, a deputy from the radical Catalan party Junts, thanked him for his intention to speak Catalan.
Next steps in Barcelona and future plans
After this, the pope plans to meet with the leader of northeastern Catalonia and hold a youth prayer at the Lluis Companys Stadium in Barcelona.
The main event of the Barcelona visit will be Wednesday, when the pope visits the Montserrat Monastery and ceremoniously opens the newest tower of the Sagrada Família, a modernist basilica that has become the tallest church in the world.
The visit to the basilica also marks the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí, whose work in life faced criticism, while today it is highly valued. Gaudí, a devout Catholic, died in 1926 and is now on the path to canonization.
The pope, who on Monday met with six victims of sexual abuse by members of the Spanish clergy, faces criticism from some survivors over his plans to visit Montserrat.
In 2023, a report by Spain’s human rights ombudsperson assessed that hundreds of thousands of people had suffered abuse by members of the Spanish clergy over decades. In 2019, the Abbot of Montserrat publicly apologized to the victims of abuse at the monastery school.
Pope Leo’s visit to Spain will end on Friday in the Canary Islands, where the pope will meet with about a thousand migrants who crossed the dangerous waters of the Atlantic on small inflatable boats, seeking a path to Europe.
In his address to the Parliament on Monday, the pope said that the lack of aid to migrants undermines the “ethical basis of the international order”.