Pope Leo XIV is considering a visit to Spain later this year, with proposed stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, in a move that would honour Pope Francis’ long-standing desire to visit one of Europe’s main migrant entry points, according to a Spanish cardinal.
Cardinal José Cobo Cano, the Archbishop of Madrid, said on Friday that preparations for the trip were already under way following a meeting with a senior official from the Vatican Secretariat of State, where a provisional itinerary was discussed. Although June had been mentioned as a possible date, Cobo stressed that no timing had yet been confirmed.
News of the potential visit emerged just one day after Spain’s government unveiled a landmark agreement — strongly backed by the Vatican — under which the country’s Catholic bishops agreed to allow the state ombudsman to have the final say on church-funded compensation for victims of clergy sexual abuse. ALSO READ: Spain signs landmark agreement with Catholic Church to compensate clergy abuse victims.
Spain had repeatedly urged Pope Francis to visit during his 12-year pontificate, but he consistently declined. Francis favoured trips to smaller or more remote nations, often where Catholics form a minority.
Speaking to reporters after his Vatican meeting, Cobo said the current proposal envisages Leo travelling to Madrid and Barcelona, where he would visit the Sagrada Familia basilica. The visit would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí, who is currently being considered for beatification. ALSO READ: Vatican puts ‘God’s architect’, the Catalan Antoni Gaudí, on path to sainthood.
The itinerary also includes a stop in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa that has seen significant arrivals of migrants from West Africa. While Francis repeatedly declined to visit mainland Spain, he had expressed a desire to travel to the Canaries as part of his broader outreach to migrants and refugees.
Leo reiterated that concern on Friday in his annual foreign policy address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, stating that migrants possess inalienable rights. He said he hoped that countries’ efforts to combat human trafficking “will not become a pretext for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees.” ALSO READ: Irregular migration to Spain dropped by over 40% in 2025.
If confirmed, the Spain trip would represent Leo’s first known travel plans for 2026. The American pope has already said he hopes to visit Africa this year, particularly Algeria, which played a key role in the life of St. Augustine, the spiritual inspiration for Leo’s Augustinian order.
He has also spoken of his wish to return to Peru, where he spent two decades as a missionary, as well as to Argentina and Uruguay, both of which sought — unsuccessfully — a papal visit during Francis’ pontificate. ALSO READ: Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, elected as first American pope, to be Pope Leo XIV.
The announcement of the proposed trip came a day after Spain’s government revealed that the Catholic hierarchy had agreed to grant the state ombudsman final authority over compensation for victims of clerical abuse — a notable concession by the church.
Justice Minister Félix Bolaños, who led negotiations with the bishops, said the Vatican had played a decisive role in securing the agreement, despite resistance from some within Spain’s episcopate. Abuse survivors had previously criticised the bishops’ original compensation plan as lacking independent oversight.
Main image: King Felipe VI and Letizia greeting Pope Leo XIV in Rome in May 2025 (Casa Real).
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