The fourth international trip Pope Leo XIV will make in 2026 will be to Spain — the country with which the Holy See has maintained diplomatic relations the longest, dating back to the 15th century.
Spain had traditionally been an ally of the Papal States. Perhaps that is why, ever since popes began traveling, it has been one of their most frequent destinations.
Pope Saint John Paul II visited Spain five times, and Pope Benedict XVI went three times. Pope Francis never traveled to the country, so it has been15 years without a papal visit, which will come to an end when Pope Leo XIV travels to Spain this June.
As for the trip’s program, it is not yet official. Everything suggests, however, that the itinerary proposed by the Spanish bishops during their visit to Rome will take place.
CARD. JOSÉ COBO
Archbishop of Madrid
I can say it will be Madrid, I can say it will be Barcelona, and the Canary Islands will be the third stop.
In Madrid, Pope Leo could celebrate Corpus Christi, which will take place on June 7. There is also discussion of a possible address before a joint session of Congress and the Senate.
On June 10, the centenary of the death of the architect of the Sagrada Familia, Antonio Gaudí, will be commemorated. The Archdiocese of Barcelona has stated that Pope Leo will be present and will inaugurate the most recently completed tower: the Tower of Jesus.
Pope Leo XIV will also travel to the islands, specifically the Canary Islands. The mission there is clear: the immigration crisis.
It is an issue that Pope Francis was very interested all the way back in September 2024, after returning from his trip to Asia and Oceania.
FRANCIS
I’ve been thinking about going to the Canary Islands, because there are migrant situations there, with people arriving by sea, and I would like to be close to the authorities and the people.
Pope Leo XIV has also spoken about the immigration crisis on occasion, for example when he asked for prayers for those who died or went missing while trying to reach the Canary Islands from Mauritania.
POPE LEO XIV
Our hearts are also broken by the more than fifty people who died and approximately one hundred are still missing in the shipwreck of a boat loaded with migrants attempting the 1,100-kilometer journey to the Canary Islands, which capsized off the Atlantic coast of Mauritania.
This trip will also be an important historical moment for the Canary Islands. It will be the first time the islands receive a reigning pope. Although Pope Pius XII passed through the archipelago before being elected pope, he did not ascend to the papacy until five years later. Therefore, Pope Leo XIV will be the first to visit as sitting pontiff.
It is clear that the visit to Spain will leave many remarkable moments that will go down in the history of a country eagerly awaiting the return of the pope.
BAM
Trans. CRT
