Pope Leo XIV at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium!
Pope in 3rd day Spain!
Madrid, June 8 (EFE).-
Pope Leo XIV delivered a historic speech on Monday in the Spanish parliament, where he called for solidarity with migrants and a decrease in geopolitical tensions and opposed rearmament, and also addressed the “plague” of sexual abuse within the Church, meeting with survivors.
This third day of the Pope’s visit to Spain ended with a diocesan celebration at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium with 70,000 faithful, among the enthusiasm of the hundreds of thousands of people attending the events and crowding the streets of Madrid, despite the heat, to see him.
On Tuesday, he will travel to Barcelona to begin the second leg of his trip, which will end on Friday in the Canary Islands.
Welcoming and integrating migrants
For the first time, a pope addressed the Spanish parliament, which met for a joint session of the Congress and the Senate, with the government present.
The pontiff delivered a plea against political polarization, in defense of life, human dignity, and those who leave their homeland in search of a better life. The speech was met with seven minutes of applause.
“The situation of migrants and refugees calls for a response that focuses on people, addresses the root causes that force them to leave, and goes beyond the mere management of migration flows,” he said.
“A coordinated, supportive, and effective response is indispensable, one capable of guaranteeing protection, welcome, and real opportunities for integration to those who migrate.”
The pope also reiterated a call to reduce tensions because political pluralism, he said, should not degenerate into constant denigration.
Peaceful conflict resolution, opposition to rearmament
Leo XIV also advocated for resolving global disputes through the “peaceful means offered by international law.”
“On the international level, peace demands diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility and a vision for the future grounded in respect for the identity of every people,” he argued.
The pope criticized the fact that in various parts of the world, including Europe, “rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation.”
“True security, however, stems from justice, patient dialogue, respect for international law, and a policy capable of placing the lives of peoples above the interests that profit from war,” he said.
The dignity of life Regarding the defense of human life, he said that it is “neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization.”
“Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence,” he said, referring to abortion and euthanasia, which are legal in Spain.
“If life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have?” he asked.
‘Protection and healing’ for victims of abuse
The Pope, who began the day with a brief meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, urged bishops to respond with listening and justice, but also with reparation to victims of sexual abuse, an issue he described as “a plague” within the Church.
“Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing,” he stated.
He then met for an hour with six victims of abuse at the Apostolic Nunciature, listening to their experiences and “assured them of his closeness—as well as that of the entire ecclesial community,” according to the Vatican.
Leo XIV also “reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the proposals received serve as a foundation for further efforts, so that the Church may truly be a safe and spiritually healthy place where wounds can find comfort and healing.”
However, several victims’ associations denounced their exclusion from the papal visit and demanded not only “kind words” but “decisive action.” On Monday, they also asserted that the Pope will leave with a “biased” view of the victims’ reality.
Testimonies in a packed Bernabéu Stadium
Finally, the Pope listened to several testimonies of faith and life experiences from people in the dioceses of the Madrid region in a packed Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
Regarding Madrid, “the capital of a great European country” where important decisions are made, Leo XIV noted that love “is the language that makes everyone feel at home,” referring, once again, to immigrants.
“You are the diocesan Church in the midst of a people who love music, dance, and being together, but who also know conflict, resignation, and sometimes despair—situations in which the Gospel can open a path to hope,” he said. EFE
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