Pope Leo heads to Spain to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with migrants

Pope Leo heads to Spain on Saturday for a week-long tour, his first visit to an EU country outside Italy, which will culminate with the pontiff meeting migrants in the Canary Islands who braved dangerous Atlantic waters to enter Europe.

Leo, who drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump after criticising his anti-immigration policies, is expected to attract large crowds on the June 6 to 12 visit and will also be the first pope to address the Spanish parliament.

The first U.S. pope’s itinerary includes stops in Madrid, Montserrat and Barcelona, where he will inaugurate the newest tower of the Sagrada Familia, the famed modernist basilica that has become the world’s tallest church.

On the last two days of the visit, Leo will travel to the Spanish islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, off the western coast of Africa, where he will meet ​with migrants and organizations dedicated to helping them.

The visit to the islands will send a signal that the pope stands “shoulder to shoulder” with migrants, said Caya Suárez Ortega, who heads the Church’s leading NGO in the Canary Islands.

“The first thing the migrants said to me when they were invited (to the papal meetings) ... was their enormous gratitude that he would stand alongside them,” said Suárez, director of Caritas Canarias.

More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to ​reach the Canary Islands, often in makeshift dinghies, according to NGO Caminando Fronteras.

The pope comes to Spain as Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government has opened a mass amnesty programme, allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.

Sanchez, who has been lauded abroad after sharply criticizing Trump, is trailing in polls and coming under fire over a string of corruption allegations against his party.

Leo will give two addresses in Madrid to Spain’s political leaders: on Saturday at the Royal Palace after meeting King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and on Monday at parliament.

The pope has adopted a more forceful tone in recent months and issued a fervent manifesto last week urging global governments to slow down the development of AI systems.

Leo, who spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pope last May, is expected to speak Spanish throughout the trip.

Organisers of the pope’s Spain trip said interest in the visit has been strong, with more than 500,000 requesting to attend events.

The largest event is likely to be an outdoor Mass on Sunday in Madrid’s landmark ​Plaza de Cibeles, said Rafael Rubio, the national coordinator for the visit. “The numbers are astonis