Pope Leo delivered a rare address to Spain’s Parliament in Madrid on June 8, 2026, declaring that global conflict, increasing polarisation, and widespread human rights abuses have plunged the world into a profound spiritual and cultural crisis [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. ‘‘The world is undergoing a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, which is manifested in multiple forms of violence, polarisation, and mutual distrust,’’ he said [1].
The Pope called on politicians to end ongoing wars and urged compassion for migrants, warning that ‘‘migration challenges the conscience of nations and the ethical foundation of the international order’’ [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Over 3,000 people died attempting dangerous sea crossings to reach Spain’s Canary Islands in 2025, according to NGO Caminando Fronteras [1, 2, 4]. Spain’s government under Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently opened a mass amnesty allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status [1, 2, 3, 4].
Pope Leo stressed moral responsibility, saying ‘‘the moral greatness of a nation is manifested above all in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that pass through the greatest fragility’’ [2]. He called for solutions that address the root causes of migration including war, poverty, and climate change rather than just managing migration flows [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
He firmly opposed increased European military spending, describing rising rearmament as ‘‘troubling’’ and ‘‘a failure of societies’’ [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. ‘‘Weapons can impose a temporary silence, but they can never build an authentic and lasting peace,’’ the Pope said [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. He emphasized that true security depends on justice, dialogue, respect for international law, and prioritizing lives over profits from conflict [3, 5].
Pope Leo also condemned the use of artificial intelligence in warfare and called for strong ethical oversight of AI systems, following a manifesto he issued in May 2026 calling for slowed AI development [1, 2, 6]. He defended the Catholic seal of confession’s privacy rights and urged the Spanish Church to listen to and compensate sexual abuse survivors [6].
His wide-ranging speech covered issues including abortion, euthanasia, and the climate emergency [3]. The far-right Spanish party Vox criticized the immigrant regularization effort as hastening an ‘‘immigrant invasion’’ and pushed for policies favoring Spaniards over foreigners [3].
Pope Leo is on a week-long visit to Spain that will end with meetings in the Canary Islands with migrants who crossed hazardous waters to reach Europe [1, 2, 3, 4].
