Pope Leo urges leaders to stop dividing, listen to world's cries for peace

MADRID - Pope Leo on Saturday urged global leaders to stop dividing their electorates with "sterile simplifications," calling on them to listen to the world's cries for peace as he met migrants and some 600,000 young people at the start of a week-long tour of Spain.

Pope Leo, who has angered US President Donald Trump by criticizing his anti-immigration policies and the Iran war, visited a Church-run shelter for the homeless in Madrid and will meet migrants in the Canary Islands during the five-stop visit.

He said before touching down in Spain that he hoped the tour would set an example to the world about respecting "every human being."

"Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated," Pope Leo said in a speech before King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

"I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarizing narratives of your societal reality and history, so as to overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity," he added.

Technology was partly to blame for creating an environment that magnifies prejudices and weakens critical thinking, Pope Leo said.

He drew on Spain's history as an example of peaceful cohabitation between religions and cultures, making reference to how Christians, Muslims and Jews cooperated during medieval times to enhance human knowledge by translating Arabic texts into Latin, Spanish and Hebrew at the School of Translators in Toledo.

"Your own history suggests that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity," he said.

Huge crowds expected

Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of central Madrid to witness the first visit to Spain by a pope since 2011.

Some waved Vatican and Spanish flags or held up babies to be blessed as Pope Leo toured in an open-air popemobile from which he was seen again doing the "6-7" hand gesture popular among young people.

A 2025 survey by Fundacion SM found there has been a surge in interest in Catholicism by young people in Spain, with 28.8% declaring themselves practicing Catholics in 2025 compared to 17.6% in 2020.

"When I see the pope doing the '6-7', it feels familiar. I think there will be more and more Catholics because of him," said Perla Garcia, 15, as she waited for Pope Leo to attend a vigil.

In the afternoon, Pope Leo visited a homeless shelter where he heard the stories of migrants who had been helped to settle when they first arrived in Madrid.

In sharp contrast to many leading Western powers, not least Trump's United States, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government has opened a mass amnesty program, allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.

Senegalese migrant Khadry, who gave the pope a replica of his Spanish residency card, described feeling lost and alone when he first arrived in Spain.

"I had left everything behind and didn't know where to start. Today I have a job, I've sorted out my immigration status, and I want to support others who arrive here just as I did," he said.

Competing with Bad Bunny

The pope's visit to the Spanish capital coincided with concerts by Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, and local church officials have indicated a meeting between the two is possible while the pope is in Madrid.

As Bad Bunny was performing at football club Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano stadium, the pope was presiding over a vigil with about 600,000 young people outside the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, home to bitter rival Real Madrid.

"In the face of the emptiness of indifference and compliance, before the violence of war and lies, you must be the sparks of a new humanity," he told the gathering.

Pope Leo joked on his flight from Rome that he was competing with Bad Bunny for young people's attention.

"If they were confronted with the question: do they want to see Bad Bunny or do they want to see the pope, I think many will go to see Bad Bunny," he said, before adding: "But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope."

Pope Leo is scheduled to give more than 20 speeches during his first trip to a European Union country outside Italy, and will be the first pope to address the Spanish parliament.

During his June 6-12 trip, the first US head of the Catholic Church will also inaugurate a new tower in Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia basilica and will meet survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the Vatican said, adding that further details will be provided after the meeting.

Some victims complained they were excluded from the meeting. They called for Leo to listen to them in a "truly inclusive" manner and for reparations to include legal recognition for victims, lifelong psychological care and adequate compensation.

"We don't want a photo with the pope: we want rights and reparations for all the victims," a collective of groups representing victims said in a statement.

A 2023 report by Spain's human rights ombudsman estimated hundreds of thousands of victims of ​clergy abuse there over decades, echoing similar scandals that have shaken the Church internationally. —Reuters