Pope Leo XIV received a seven-minute standing ovation from Spanish lawmakers on Monday after delivering a landmark address to Las Cortes Generales (Spain's national parliament) in Madrid — the first time a pope has ever spoken before the chamber. The American pontiff called for a "moral renewal" in public life, urging respect for the inherent dignity of migrants, the unborn, and the vulnerable, while warning that "political pluralism should not degenerate into the constant disparagement of one's adversary" — a pointed reference to Spain's deepening partisan divisions. Leo also called for ethical oversight of AI weapons systems, expressed concern over rising European defence spending, and acknowledged the Catholic Church's historical role in the transatlantic slave trade, making his remarks notable both for their breadth and their candour.
Mosaic News
Pope Leo XIV calls for migrant dignity and political unity in historic address to Spanish parliament[Updated]
Pope Leo XIV extended his Spanish visit to the Canary Islands on Thursday, travelling to the port of Arguineguín on Gran Canaria — a site that became notorious during the Covid-19 pandemic when more than 3,000 migrants were held there simultaneously in squalid conditions. Addressing migrants directly, he told them, "You are not numbers or files, you are people," and called on the "conscience of Europe" not to grow accustomed to its seas becoming unmarked graves. He threw a wreath of flowers into the water in tribute to those who had perished on the Atlantic crossing, a route on which the International Organization for Migration recorded 1,172 deaths or disappearances in 2025 alone. Nearly 18,000 migrants arrived in the Canaries by sea last year, according to Spain's Interior Ministry, a sharp drop from the roughly 50,000 irregular arrivals recorded in 2024.