In Madrid, Pope Leo said Corpus Christi is \u201cmore than just another celebration on the liturgical calendar \u2026 It is a way of returning to the heart of the faith to renew our love and fidelity to God.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2. Pope Leo meets with abuse victims<\/p>\n
On the third day of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo met with six victims of abuse committed \u201cby members of the clergy and the Church\u201d in the country.<\/p>\n
The victims, the Vatican stated, were \u201caccompanied by Church personnel engaged in supporting and accompanying victims.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the hourlong meeting, the victims shared their \u201cpainful personal experiences\u201d with the Holy Father, and each person presented him with \u201cproposals to make the Church\u2019s response to such tragic cases more effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly before meeting with victims, the Holy Father urged the Spanish bishops to respond to the \u201cscourge\u201d of abuse in the Church \u201cwith listening, truth, justice, reparation, and an ever-more-determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection, and real paths to healing,\u201d the Holy Father said.<\/p>\n
![\"Cloudinary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/encuentro-leon-xiv-victimas-madrid-080626-1780936720_xav9k8.webp\"\/)
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Pope Leo XIV meets with abuse victims in Madrid. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
3. Pope Leo becomes first pope to address Spanish Parliament<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV became the first pope in history to address the Spanish Parliament when he spoke to lawmakers on Monday, June 8, the third day of his apostolic journey.<\/p>\n
Although he is the third pope to visit Spain, after St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, none of Leo\u02bcs predecessors addressed the legislative body representing the Spanish people.<\/p>\n
The pope received nearly seven minutes of applause at the end of his speech, which urged lawmakers to protect human life from conception until natural death.<\/p>\n
4. Pope honors Our Lady of Almudena with Golden Rose<\/p>\n
One of the greatest devotions among Spanish Catholics is to Our Lady of Almudena \u2014 the patron saint of Madrid.<\/p>\n
According to tradition, as Moorish forces invaded the region in A.D. 712, the citizens of Madrid secretly hid their beloved statue of the Virgin Mary inside the thick stone walls of the city\u02bcs fortress, leaving two lit candles beside it. In 1085, after King Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid, the Christians searched for the statue. While processing around the city walls, a section of the wall miraculously crumbled, revealing the statue perfectly preserved with the candles still burning after centuries.<\/p>\n
On June 8, that enduring devotion received one of the Church\u2019s highest marks of recognition when Pope Leo XIV\u00a0bestowed a Golden Rose<\/a>\u00a0upon the historic statue.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a symbol of the pope\u2019s filial love for the Virgin Mary, I will place a Golden Rose at her feet,\u201d Leo said during a ceremony at Madrid\u2019s Cathedral of Santa Mar\u00eda la Real de la Almudena.<\/p>\n The papal honor \u2014 one of the highest distinctions a pope can bestow upon a Marian image or shrine \u2014 recognizes the deep devotion generations of Spanish Catholics have shown to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Almudena.<\/p>\n The exact origin of the gifting of a Golden Rose is unknown, although it is considered one of the oldest papal traditions. The earliest\u00a0reliable record<\/a>\u00a0dates to 1096, when Pope Urban II sent one to Fulcone d\u2019Angers.<\/p>\n 5. Pope Leo entrusts his pontificate to Our Lady of Montserrat<\/p>\n While in Montserrat, the Holy Father visited the\u00a0Abbey of Montserrat<\/a>, which is nestled among towering rock formations that resemble sculpted figures of animals or objects.<\/p>\n At the foot of Montserrat, after praying the rosary, the pope lifted up his prayer: \u201cLet us ask her to help us clothe ourselves only with the armor of God.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cLet us also consider how the Virgin holds the globe in her right hand, a sign of her maternal care, for the whole world finds a place in her heart. She invites us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters, so that no one is excluded and that communion is stronger than every division,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The image of Mary currently venerated is a 12th-century Romanesque wooden sculpture, just over 3 feet tall, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. Except for the faces and hands, the statue is covered in gold, while the Virgin\u2019s dark complexion has earned her the popular nickname \u201cLa Moreneta.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am happy to come to the feet of La Moreneta to entrust to her, with full confidence in her maternal intercession, my Petrine ministry and the mission of the Church in a world that cries out for justice and peace,\u201d the pope said.<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV venerates a 12th-century wooden sculpture of Mary with the Child Jesus in the Abbey of Montserrat, outside of Barcelona, Spain, on June 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez\/EWTN News<\/p>\n 6. Pope Leo prays with young man\u02bcs rosary \u2014 then gives it back to him<\/p>\n While in Barcelona, an encounter between the pope and a young man named Sergi\u00a0went viral<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the pope\u2019s visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, Sergi handed Leo his rosary. The pontiff slipped it into his pocket before using it minutes later to pray during the event.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted him to bless it, that\u2019s all, but he asked me, \u2018Is it for me?\u2019 And I\u2019m not going to say no, so of course I said yes, and he kept it,\u201d the young man told EWTN News.<\/p>\n But the story didn\u02bct end there. Unexpectedly, after the event, Sergi managed to recover his prized sacramental, now prayed with by the pope.<\/p>\n 7. Pope Leo visits the tomb of Venerable Antoni Gaud\u00ed<\/p>\n Before celebrating Mass at the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bPope Leo took time to visit the crypt, pray before the Blessed Sacrament, and light a candle at the tomb of Venerable Antoni Gaud\u00ed, who designed the iconic basilica more than a century ago.<\/p>\n Gaud\u00ed, known as the \u201carchitect of God,\u201d died in 1926 and is buried in the basilica crypt. He was known for his intense personal faith and devotion to the building of the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Vatican announced April 14, 2025, that Pope Francis had formally recognized Gaud\u00ed\u2019s \u201cheroic virtue,\u201d a key step in the canonization process. Two miracles attributed to Gaud\u00ed\u2019s intercession are now required for his canonization.<\/p>\n 8. Pope Leo celebrates Mass in iconic Sagrada Familia Basilica<\/p>\n One of the historic milestones of Pope Leo\u2019s visit to Spain was the opportunity to realize Antoni Gaud\u00ed\u2019s dream: the\u00a0inauguration and blessing<\/a>\u00a0of the Tower of Jesus Christ, coinciding exactly with the centenary of the great architect\u2019s death.<\/p>\n The spectacular central spire is crowned by a white cross that makes the basilica the tallest in the world and will be open to visitors starting in 2028.<\/p>\n After Mass, Leo XIV stepped outside to bless and inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ \u2014 before\u00a0a stunning celebration of lights and sacred music \u2014 in which the pope, rather than simply putting his stamp on a finished work, charted a course for Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sagrada Fam\u00edlia is the tallest church in the world \u2014 not to stand out in worldly rankings but to guide the steps of God\u2019s people journeying through this land of Catalonia, with the cross illuminating the path like a lamp lit in anticipation of the Bridegroom\u2019s return,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe entire city of Barcelona and all of Catalonia gather in this temple \u2014 itself a sign of unity and harmony for all of Spain \u2014 and lift their gaze to encounter the face of God the Father, resplendent in his Son-made-man, Jesus Christ,\u201d the pope added.<\/p>\n 9. Pope Leo blesses a cross made of wood from the boats of migrants<\/p>\n At the Port of Arguinegu\u00edn in Gran Canaria \u2014 a place that became a symbol of the migration crisis in the Canary Islands \u2014 Pope Leo offered a powerful witness to the dignity of every human person. Standing at a dock marked by the suffering and loss of those who arrived after dangerous journeys across the Atlantic, he prayed for migrants, denounced human trafficking, and called the world to a deeper examination of conscience.<\/p>\n The visit concluded beside the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, patroness of seafarers, where the Holy Father blessed a memorial cross made from the wood of migrant boats and erected in honor of those who lost their lives at sea. Entrusting migrants and all who undertake perilous journeys to her maternal care, he transformed a place once known for tragedy into a sign of hope and remembrance.<\/p>\n 10. Pope Leo gives a powerful message to human traffickers<\/p>\n During the last day of his papal trip, Pope Leo raised his voice with unusual force.<\/p>\n![\"Cloudinary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Pope_Leo_Barcelona_Montserrat_Daniel_Ibanez_Vatican_Pool_bojz1v.jpg\"\/)
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