{"id":37080,"date":"2026-06-08T23:24:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/37080\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T23:24:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:24:21","slug":"pope-leo-xiv-calls-on-spains-parliament-to-reject-abortion-in-historic-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/37080\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo XIV calls on Spain\u2019s parliament to reject abortion in historic speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

(NewsNation<\/a>) \u2014 In the first papal address to Spanish lawmakers, Pope Leo XIV urged Spain\u2019s political class to safeguard the \u201cinviolable dignity of the human person\u201d and reject abortion.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence,\u201d the pope said in Spanish.<\/p>\n

Antonio Banderas delivers emotional testimony in Spain before Pope Leo XIV <\/a><\/p>\n

Pope Leo\u2019s trip to Spain, the first papal visit in 15 years, comes at a tense moment for the socialist-led government and the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

On the historic occasion, the American-born pontiff did not shy away from one of the Catholic Church\u2019s most controversial positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery truly just society is built upon the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person,\u201d Leo said. \u201cSuch dignity precedes any concession by the State and cannot be subordinated to shifting social consensus or the whims of the majority at any given moment.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Pope<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV is flanked by Francina Armengol, President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain, left, and Pedro Rollan Ojeda, President of the Senate of Spain, as he meets with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt belongs to every human being by the very fact of their existence, and for this reason, it must guide every positive legal system,\u201d the pope continued.<\/p>\n

The invitation to speak before the Spanish parliament is significant, showing a level of respect and acceptance in a traditionally Catholic but highly secular country. Most Spaniards are Catholic, but religious practice has plummeted in recent decades.<\/p>\n

Abortion in Spain is legal until 14 weeks of pregnancy<\/p>\n

Abortion in Spain is legal until 14 weeks of pregnancy, and at later stages in cases of risk to the life or health of the mother or fetal defects or disabilities. Recent reforms to the law allow abortion without parental consent from the age of 16.<\/p>\n

Pentagon reworks religion list after Mormons speak out <\/a><\/p>\n

The Catholic Church considers abortion to be a grave moral evil.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm needed to understand the Church\u2019s opposition to abortion is the principle that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person,\u201d the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said.<\/p>\n

\"Pope<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV waves to faithful as he arrives on the occasion of a meeting with the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Monday, June 8, 2026 (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n

Pope Leo: Church\u2019s stance on abortion is not political<\/p>\n

In his address, Pope Leo said the Church\u2019s stance on abortion is not political or even religious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s out there? Why the Vatican studies the stars <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cCan a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?\u201d Pope Leo asked. <\/p>\n

Despite public opinion in Spain being deeply divided on abortion, lawmakers gave the pope a seven-minute standing ovation amid chants of \u201cViva el Papa!\u201d or \u201cLong live the pope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Leo\u2019s visit to Spain has drawn massive crowds, with an estimated 1.5 million people attending Mass on Sunday in downtown Madrid and 600,000 young people for a prayer vigil.<\/p>\n

Faith is an integral part of millions of Americans\u2019 daily lives. \u201cOne Nation Under God\u201d is committed to reflecting America\u2019s voices, values and communities covering stories of faith and religion, from the latest headlines to stories of hope. Subscribe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(NewsNation) \u2014 In the first papal address to Spanish lawmakers, Pope Leo XIV urged Spain\u2019s political class to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37081,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17718,9933,17,16556,17804],"class_list":["post-37080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-abortion","tag-pope-leo","tag-spain","tag-spanish-parliament","tag-the-catholic-church"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37080"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}