Pope Leo XIV condemns xenophobia from the Congress of Deputies

BarcelonaPope Leo XIV delivered this Monday in the Congress of Deputies a speech that contains the main message of his visit to Spain, where, as a reminder, in addition to Madrid and Catalonia, he plans to visit the Canary Islands. This message has to do with the drama of immigration and how governments and societies manage it, and it is based on a fundamental principle: the defense of human dignity. "Many men, women, and children are forced, by circumstances often dramatic, to abandon their communities and leave behind their loved ones, stories, and ties. This reality transcends any purely demographic or economic reading: it constitutes an eminently moral and legal issue. Wherever a person is discriminated against because of their national, ethnic, religious, or linguistic origin, or because of their economic or social status, the universal principle of the equal dignity of all human beings is gravely violated," stated the Holy Father.

One could not say it more loudly, but not more clearly. These words are an express repudiation of the xenophobic speeches of far-right formations like Vox or Aliança Catalana, but also an absolute amendment to the principle of "national priority" that the PP and Vox have introduced in their regional pacts (only Andalusia is missing, where Moreno Bonilla seems to be resisting accepting it). Leo XIV calls on Catholics to empathize with migrants, with their plight, just when many believers are drawn to speeches that dehumanize them and present them as invaders who basically come to commit crimes.

If to this discourse on immigration we add the Pope's defense of multilateralism, international law, and peace, and the criticism of rearmament, it is logical to think that he is supporting two of the flags of Pedro Sánchez's government: the regularization of immigrants and the refusal to allocate 5% of GDP to defense. This is why the right is particularly uncomfortable with this visit, as it politically represents a breath of fresh air for a Sánchez cornered by scandals.

The criticism of "polarization" and the affirmation that "disagreement should not lead to humiliation" is also significant, when just this Monday he received in audience the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who represents the complete opposite. The pontiff has not strayed from the script, it is true, in his rejection of abortion and euthanasia, but these issues, like that of the role of women in the Church, are doctrinal and represent no novelty.

Finally, Leo XIV could have gone further in self-criticism for the sexual abuse committed within the Church, but he has also exposed the Spanish bishops with his audience with victims of pedophilia. Beforehand, the pontiff had called on the ecclesiastical hierarchy to fight against this "plague," but the victims expect and deserve much more than words. And have for too long.