Visit by Pope Leo XIV to Spain

Madrid

Pope Leo will arrive in Madrid on June 6 and be received at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, followed by a ceremony at the Royal Palace and a courtesy visit to the King and Queen. His first day concludes with a visit to the "CEDIA 24 Horas" social project held by Caritas and a prayer vigil with young people at the Plaza de Lima. On June 7, the Pope will preside over Holy Mass and a Feast of Corpus Christi celebration in the Plaza de Cibeles. He will go on to meet with the Augustinian Order and cultural and sporting figures at Madrid Sports Palace.

He will meet with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, members of the Parliament, and the bishops of the Spanish Episcopal Conference on June 8. After lunch, he will lead a prayer and devotion to Our Lady of Almudena at the Almudena Cathedral, and meet with the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The ceremony will be presided over by two of the most venerated images in the Spanish capital: the aforementioned Virgin of Almudena, patron saint of Madrid, and the Christ of Medinaceli. On June 9, he will meet with volunteers at the IFEMA Exhibition Centre before departing for Barcelona.^[5]

Barcelona

Pope Leo is scheduled to arrive at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport mid-day on June 9, where he will proceed to a prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, followed by a prayer vigil in the evening at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium. The following day on June 10, he will visit the 'Brians 1' Penitentiary Center to meet with prisoners, and lead the Holy Rosary prayers at the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, before the image of the Virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia, followed by lunch with the Benedictines at the abbey. In the afternoon, he will meet with the diocesans and local welfare organizations in the Church of Sant Agustí.

In the evening, the Pope will go to the Sagrada Familia to inaugurate and bless the recently-completed Tower of Jesus Christ, main and tallest tower of the basilica with a height of 172,5 meters (566 feet), making the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world. The Pope will also lead a Solemn Mass there to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of the basilica's main architect, Antoni Gaudí.^[5][6]

Canary Islands

Leo will depart Barcelona in the morning on June 11, and arrive at Gando Air Base on Gran Canaria several hours later. Once in Gran Canaria, he will meet with organizations working with migrants at the port of Arguineguín. Afterwards, he will meet with diocesan priests, deacons, and pastoral workers in the Cathedral of Santa Anna in Las Palmas. In the late afternoon, the Pope will hold Holy Mass at the Gran Canaria Stadium, before the images of the Virgin of the Pine, patron saint of the island and its diocese, and the Christ of Telde.

On the last day of his journey, June 12, Pope Leo will depart Gran Canaria and land at Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport in the morning, followed by a meeting with migrants who crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the Las Raíces center. Leo will also meet with local organizations helping the migrants at the Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna, and hold Holy Mass at the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, before the image of the Virgin of Candelaria, patron saint of the Canary Islands, and the Christ of La Laguna, another image of great devotion in the islands.^[7] Also present will be relics of the only two saints born in the archipelago to date: Saint Peter of Betancur and Saint Joseph of Anchieta. In the afternoon, he will attend a farewell ceremony at Tenerife Norte Airport and return to Rome by late evening.^[5]

This will be the first visit by a pope to the Canary Islands, although in 1934 cardinal Pacelli visited the island of Gran Canaria representing the pope five years before being elected Pope Pius XII.^[8] Similarly, Robert Prevost (now Leo XIV) visited the island of Tenerife twice before his election as pope, as prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine between 2001 and 2013. He stayed in the city of Puerto de la Cruz, where the only Augustinian community in the Canary Islands is located.^[9]