Pope Meets Abuse Victims
Pope Concludes Third Day in Madrid with Meetings, Congress Speech, and Victim Encounter
Pope Leo XIV packed his most politically charged day yet into Monday in Madrid. The pontiff met with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, became the first pope in history to address the Spanish Parliament, and closed the evening before 70,000 faithful at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, according to EFE.
Sandwiched between the grand public moments was a quieter, more sensitive encounter. Behind closed doors at the Apostolic Nunciature, Leo XIV met privately with survivors of clerical abuse — a meeting that drew both praise and sharp criticism from victim advocacy groups, El Periódico reported.
First Pope Ever to Address the Spanish Parliament
At 10:30 AM, Leo XIV stepped into the Cortes Generales and made history. No pope had ever spoken before a joint session of the Spanish Congress and Senate. The address drew all major parties — PSOE, PP, Vox, and Sumar all confirmed attendance, according to La Razón.
Not everyone showed up. Podemos and the BNG boycotted the session entirely. Podemos Secretary Pablo Fernández called the Pope a "comrade of silence" on the stolen babies scandal and Church abuses, according to elDiario.es. From the podium, Leo XIV urged leaders to "abandon divisive and polarizing narratives."
Sánchez Meets the Pope Amid Corruption Turbulence
The day opened at 9:30 AM with a bilateral meeting between Leo XIV and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Nunciature. They discussed international peace, the migration crisis, and ethical AI regulation, according to a statement from La Moncloa. Sánchez called the Pope a "moral compass in the fight against injustice."
The visit gave Sánchez a political lift. The Pope implicitly endorsed Spain's recent regularization of 500,000 undocumented migrants by praising "humanist migration policies," according to The Guardian. The meeting came as the Sánchez government faces pressure from the so-called "Leire case" corruption allegations, EFE noted.
Abuse Survivor Meeting Draws Protests Outside the Nunciature
At 4:15 PM, the Pope held a closed-door session with clerical abuse victims at the Nunciature, primarily those helped by the "Proyecto Repara" program, according to El País. Leo XIV called the scandal "an open wound" — "una herida abierta" — according to Clarín.
Outside, activists were not satisfied. Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesperson for the group Infancia Robada, said: "We don't want a photo, we want rights and reparation." Activist Miguel Hurtado staged a fictional meeting outside the building to protest the exclusion of critical voices, Europa Press reported. Critics called the session a "PR maneuver" designed to avoid uncomfortable questions.
70,000 Pack the Bernabéu for the Pope's Final Madrid Act
The day ended on a grand scale. At 7:00 PM, approximately 70,000 faithful from local parishes and schools filled the Santiago Bernabéu stadium for a diocesan gathering, according to Diario Córdoba. It was the final major event of the Madrid leg of the trip.
The visit as a whole has been enormous in scale. Crowds reached 1.2 million at the Cibeles Mass and 500,000 at the Plaza de Lima vigil, according to France 24. The economic impact is estimated at €150 million for Spain, with €73.8 million going directly to Madrid. The Spanish government spent €80 million on security alone, deploying 23,500 agents across the city.
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