{"id":37707,"date":"2026-06-09T22:58:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T22:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/37707\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T22:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T22:58:32","slug":"pope-leo-takes-on-soccer-and-language-in-visit-to-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/37707\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo takes on soccer and language in visit to Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) \u2014 Pope Leo XIV<\/a> found himself in the midst of two of Spain\u2019s greatest rivalries \u2014 over soccer and language \u2014 as he landed in Barcelona on Tuesday during his weeklong visit<\/a> to the country.<\/p>\n

Spaniards don\u2019t argue that much about issues like abortion or guns, but they do debate tirelessly about language and their favorite sport, whose significance transcends fandom.<\/p>\n

The U.S.-born pontiff had rubbed Barcelona\u2019s soccer fans the wrong way by saying he roots for Real Madrid instead of their beloved Bar\u00e7a. Barcelona\u2019s residents had already been speculating that he might make minimal use of their native Catalan during his trip to Barcelona<\/a> instead of Spanish, which he speaks fluently.<\/p>\n

The pope sought to disabuse them of the latter assumption soon after his arrival by speaking first in Catalan. The languages and teams have been longtime wedges between Spain\u2019s two biggest cities.<\/p>\n

The pope visited Real Madrid\u2019s museum<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pope is for all teams, but Prevost is for Real Madrid\u201d were the words that sealed Leo\u2019s sporting fate with many a Bar\u00e7a fan when he responded to a question on the papal plane en route to Spain.<\/p>\n

Real Madrid proudly posted the video of the moment, and social media filled with comments about how the club is \u201cthe team of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Pope<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV waves as he leaves after presiding over a midday prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV waves as he leaves after presiding over a midday prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/p>\n

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Tom\u00e1s Roncero, a popular sports commentator for the widely read Spanish sports daily AS, said in a video that \u201cthe pope can\u2019t be for Bar\u00e7a, because it is a sinful club … in his heart he is of a pure and clean club like Madrid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Real Madrid-Barcelona divide is one of the biggest rivalries in club football.<\/p>\n

For many non-Madrid fans, especially those in Spain\u2019s regions with different languages and strong local identities like Catalonia, Real Madrid is associated with strong central power. Many consider it almost a pillar of the state, along with the central government and the Catholic Church. Bar\u00e7a, meanwhile, is closely aligned with Catalan nationalism, and was famously called \u201cCatalonia\u2019s unarmed army.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pope, who preached unity<\/a> to Spain\u2019s capital, aligned himself closely with Real Madrid during events in the city.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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On Monday, thousands of Catholics packed the stadium of Real Madrid for a rally with the pope featuring dancers kicking soccer balls, while dressed in the white and yellow colors of the Holy See.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Pope<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV greets people as he leaves after presiding over a midday prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV greets people as he leaves after presiding over a midday prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/p>\n

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\u201cToday the Church in Madrid has scored a great goal to always be remembered!\u201d Leo said at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, where he also met privately on the sidelines with Puerto Rican musical sensation Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n

The pope even visited the club\u2019s museum to peruse its packed trophy case with Real Madrid president Florentino P\u00e9rez, who gave him a Madrid shirt with \u201cRobert F. Prevost\u201d on the back.<\/p>\n

Folks in Barcelona noticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA figure as important as he is shouldn\u2019t take sides. Now that he has said that he supports Real Madrid, well, I am sorry, he has messed it up,\u201d said Eduard Modro\u00f1o, an office worker and Barcelona fan. He noted that Leo and Madrid players, whose uniforms are pristine white, also dress similarly. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe wears all white, doesn\u2019t he? Enough said,\u201d said Modro\u00f1o, as he spoke outside the Sagrada Familia<\/a> basilica, where the pope on Wednesday will celebrate a Mass in the major event of his stop in Spain\u2019s second city.<\/p>\n

Pope begins his homily in Barcelona with Catalan<\/p>\n

Leo began his homily at Barcelona\u2019s cathedral with a few words in Catalan and switched between it and Spanish in his first public address in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeloved brothers and sisters, it is with great pleasure that I start my visit holding the midday prayer at this cathedral,\u201d he said in Catalan.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Pope<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV presides over the midday prayer in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, on the fourth day of a seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV presides over the midday prayer in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, on the fourth day of a seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n

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Later in his busy day, Leo again swapped between the two languages when he was enthusiastically received by 40,000 Catholics at a prayer vigil held at Barcelona\u2019s Olympic Stadium. <\/p>\n

Nobody there gave any sign they cared more about soccer or language than the chance to see the pope. Crowds cheered wildly as he slowly toured the stadium in a popemobile. A troupe of Catalan performers built a human tower<\/a> while Leo smiled from the stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy,\u201d said Javier Guibrot Alsina, who waved a flag and danced to the loud music accompanying the event. \u201cHis coming gives us a lot of hope. It\u2019s a treat. How lucky we are to have have him here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two-hour event finished with the pope silently contemplating for several minutes at Catalonia\u2019s Black Madonna, a statue of the Virgen of Montserrat, the region\u2019s patroness saint. <\/p>\n

Language is tied to politics in Spain<\/p>\n

Catalan, spoken by around 10 million people, exists side-by-side with Spanish in Catalonia. But the language question is often weaponized politically.<\/p>\n

Catalan was suppressed by Spain\u2019s 20th-century dictatorship under Gen. Francisco Franco. Preserving the language was an important driver of separatist sentiment during a recent push for independence that reached its peak in a failed breakaway bid in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI used some Catalan when they visited Barcelona in 1982 and 2010, respectively. Spain\u2019s king speaks Catalan when he\u2019s in Catalonia, but it\u2019s rare for Spanish politicians from non-Catalan speaking regions to do so.<\/p>\n

The pope speaking a few words in Catalan may not be enough for many residents. But some were appreciative of the gesture.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking the language of the land that welcomes you is a wonderful act of love and respect. I hope you enjoy your visit to Catalonia, my nation,\u201d M\u00edriam Noqueras\u2019 political party, Junts, said she told the pontiff \u2014 in English \u2014 when they briefly spoke at Spain\u2019s parliament on Monday.<\/p>\n

The archbishop of Barcelona, Juan Jos\u00e9 Omella, tried to downplay the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pope knew beforehand that he is coming to a country (Catalonia) where people speak a very old language that has never been lost through the centuries,\u201d Omella told reporters. \u201cHe knows this and has prepared his speeches and his homily, while keeping in mind that he can only do so much and doesn\u2019t want to end up looking silly in a language he doesn\u2019t speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Modro\u00f1o, the soccer fan, speaking in Catalan is more important than anything related to sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a lack of respect not to speak entirely in Catalan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Pope<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV presides over the midday prayer in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, on the fourth day of a seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV presides over the midday prayer in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, on the fourth day of a seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n

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____<\/p>\n

AP writer Nicole Winfield and videojournalist Patricia Thomas contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BARCELONA, Spain (AP) \u2014 Pope Leo XIV found himself in the midst of two of Spain\u2019s greatest rivalries…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,17973,223,1693,42,1220,17920,17975,984,70,9491,83,1010,1743,17,396,17974,394],"class_list":["post-37707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-eduard-modroo","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-florentino-perez","tag-francisco-franco","tag-general-news","tag-javier-guibrot-alsina","tag-juan-jos-omella","tag-language","tag-pope-leo-xiv","tag-pope-benedict-xvi","tag-real-madrid","tag-religion","tag-soccer","tag-spain","tag-sports","tag-toms-roncero","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37707","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=37707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}