Millions are expected to attend events across Spain as Leo XIV combines religious celebrations with high-profile political meetings.
Under the motto 'Lift up your eyes', Leo XIV will travel nearly 2,500 kilometres between 6 and 12 June on his first apostolic journey to Spain since he was elected pope on 8 May 2025.
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The man who was still Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost just over a year ago arrived at Barajas from Rome’s Fiumicino airport.
Born on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, Leo XIV has deeply multicultural roots. His father was of French and Italian descent, while his mother came from a Creole family from Louisiana with Dominican, French, African and Spanish ancestors.
That heritage is no minor detail on this trip: Robert Francis Prevost Martínez has Spanish roots on his mother’s side, adding a personal dimension to a visit that already carries considerable historical weight.
He is the first American pope in the two millennia of the Catholic Church’s history. And he is also the first pontiff with dual nationality, American and Peruvian, as well as the first Augustinian pope in the history of Catholicism.
21 events in six days: from Cibeles to the Bernabéu
The programme includes 21 events in six days and four destinations: Madrid, Barcelona with Montserrat, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
In the capital, the busiest days fall at the weekend. Up to 1.5 million people are expected at the Corpus Mass in Cibeles and 500,000 at the vigil in Plaza de Lima. The route of the popemobile will run along Calle Serrano, Goya and Plaza de Colón before reaching Cibeles.
On Monday 8 June, the agenda takes on a more institutional tone: at 9:30am CET, a meeting with the prime minister at the Apostolic Nunciature. At 10:30am, an address to MPs in the Congress of Deputies. It will be the first time a pope has taken part in an event of this kind in the Spanish Parliament.
In the afternoon, at 6:00pm, there will be a prayer and tribute to Our Lady of Almudena in the cathedral, and at 7:00pm a meeting with the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
On Tuesday 9 June, Leo XIV will leave Madrid for Barcelona, where he is expected to celebrate Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Sagrada Família.
Why this visit is different
There are facts that place this visit in a category of its own. The last time a pope set foot in Spain was Benedict XVI, 15 years ago. And although Leo XIV is no stranger to the country, before becoming pope he travelled to at least a dozen Spanish cities, including Madrid, which he visited several times – the scale of this trip has no recent precedent.
The economic impact is also significant. According to estimates by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, the pope’s seven-day stay in the country will involve a cost of around €25 million, but could generate an economic return of more than €150 million. Booking.com is already seeing the effect. The platform has detected a sharp rise in accommodation searches in the cities on the papal itinerary, with increases of 52% in Barcelona and 46% in Madrid.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said this week: "Leo XIV’s trip to Spain is a sign that, despite the secularisation of society, the pope still has something to say in many areas, in Spain and in Europe, where he can play a constructive role in public debate".
