Pope Leo XIV disavows xenophobia at the Congress
BarcelonaPope Leo XIV delivered this Monday in the Congress of Deputies a speech containing the main message of his visit to Spain, where, as a reminder, in addition to Madrid and Barcelona, 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 is based on a fundamental principle: the defense of human dignity. "Many men, women, and children are forced, by circumstances that are often dramatic, to leave their communities and leave behind their loved ones, histories, and bonds. 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 their economic or social status, the universal principle of the equal dignity of all human beings is gravely violated," stated the Holy Father.
It could be said louder, but not clearer. These words are an express disavowal of the xenophobic speeches of far-right formations such as 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 reluctant to accept it). Leo XIV calls on Catholics to empathize with migrants, with their drama, just when many believers are attracted to discourses that dehumanize them and present them as invaders who essentially come to commit crimes.
If we add to this discourse on immigration the Pope's defense of multilateralism, international law, and peace, and his criticism of rearmament, it is logical to think that he is supporting two of Pedro Sánchez's government's banners: 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 statement that "disagreement should not lead to humiliation" is also significant, especially since just this Monday he received in audience the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who represents the exact opposite. The pontiff did not deviate from the script, however, in his rejection of abortion and euthanasia, but these issues, like that of the role of women in the Church, are doctrinal and do not represent anything new.
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. Earlier, 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.
