Pope Leo XIV Addresses Spanish Parliament, Says Every Human Life Must Be Protected From Conception to Natural Death

Pope Leo XIV delivered the first address by a pope to Spain’s parliament on June 8, 2026, speaking to members of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid.

The pope described the world as facing a “profound spiritual and cultural crisis” marked by violence, polarization and mutual distrust. ” Pope Leo XIV stated that rising military spending in Europe is “troubling” and that rearmament is being presented as an almost inevitable response to international fragility.

He urged politicians to work to end wars and to help migrants rather than increase military budgets.

” He called on countries to address the causes forcing people to leave their homelands, including war, poverty and climate change. More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government has opened a mass amnesty program allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.

During his week-long visit to Spain the pope met with migrants and the homeless; the visit is scheduled to culminate with a meeting with migrants in the Canary Islands.

The Vatican said the pope would meet with a group of victims of clerical abuse during the visit. A 2023 report by Spain’s human rights ombudsman estimated hundreds of thousands of victims of clerical abuse in Spain over decades. Pope Leo XIV did not mention abuse by Catholic clergy in his parliamentary address.

” Pope Leo XIV arrived in Madrid on Saturday for the weeklong visit, during which 2 million people attended an event, according to local authorities.

Abortion was decriminalized in Spain in 1985. Legislation on abortion was relaxed in 2010 to give women the right to a termination up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. A euthanasia law was introduced in Spain in 2021.