The Pope rejects the national priority of PP and Vox and amends the rearmament of Europe

MadridFor the first time in history, the Pope has delivered a speech to Congress. In a hemicycle dressed in gala for the occasion and on a visit that he wanted to serve as a "gesture of closeness" towards Spain, Leo XIV has once again fully entered the Spanish political debate to fundamentally amend the postulates of the far-right regarding immigration. He has once again referred to the "tragic migratory drama" and has reproached the national priority that the PP and Vox have recently agreed upon in the autonomous communities. "Where a person is discriminated against because of their national, ethnic, religious or linguistic origin, the universal principle of the equal dignity of all human beings is seriously violated," he proclaimed. "The situation of migrants and refugees demands a response that looks at people," he added. Likewise, he has put forward a "double demand for social justice" with immigrants: they must be offered "safe and legal pathways," a "respectful welcome," and "real opportunities for integration," and, in parallel, the "right to stay in their own land" must be promoted by working to ensure that "no one has to leave their home." Precisely on Thursday, the Pope will travel to the Canary Islands, which is the final destination of the most dangerous migratory route in Europe.

From Congress, among others, the presidents of the PP and Vox, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal, listened, who acted as if they heard nothing with the Pope's positions against the restrictions on immigrants' rights. The far-right leader does not consider himself affected by Leo XIV's words, believes there is "no contradiction," and asks to "distinguish" between speeches and "practical politics." The leader of the opposition subscribes to the speech "from A to Z," and the spokesperson for the popular party, Borja Sémper, maintains that the pontiff's words are compatible with their agreements with Vox: "We believe that migrant people deserve to be treated with dignity," he stated. For his part, the spokesperson for the PSOE in Congress, Patxi López, urged the right to put humanism at the center of politics.

"From conception to natural sunset"The Pope's speech also had references to the international context, hit by the wars in Ukraine, Iran, and Palestine. "It is worrying that, in various parts of the world, and also in Europe, rearmament is once again presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international scene," lamented Leo XIV, who called for "diplomatic courage" to achieve peace far from weapons and appealed to "resolve controversies through the peaceful paths offered by international law." "Weapons can impose a temporary silence, but they will never be able to build an authentic and lasting peace," he expressed. And, as he did after landing in Madrid, he set homework for the political class to avoid polarization: "Political plurality should not degenerate into permanent disqualification of the adversary".

"From conception to natural sunset"

Leo XIV has also railed against the right to abortion and euthanasia, two of the pillars of Pedro Sánchez's roadmap from the last legislature. In fact, the lower house is currently processing a reform of the Constitution promoted by Moncloa to safeguard abortion. "Every human life must be recognized and protected from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence," the Pope has defended. "When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims. The moral greatness of a nation is manifested in its capacity to accompany, protect, and love those lives that go through greater fragility," he added. "Can a community that leaves the unborn child in the shadows be called fully just?" he asked.

Upon leaving, Minister Félix Bolaños replied that the Spanish government "respects all positions of the Catholic Church" and – however – said that the Pope's speech had been "absolutely concordant and coherent" with Moncloa's postulates. In a statement, the Association Right to Die with Dignity argues that the right to euthanasia "is part of social and democratic consensus" and "guarantees that each person can decide according to their values, beliefs, and experiences." "It should not be questioned as a framework for coexistence, but consolidated and guaranteed," it concludes.

Francina Armengol advocates for "union" and "agreement"

The president of the Congress, Francina Armengol, also took the floor, who defended that "strength rests on unity and agreement" and appealed for "understanding" between institutions and cultures as something "essential to face the great challenges". And she alluded to the international context: "There is no other option but to gather around the essential and reformulate the measures that commit us to the configuration of a more just world".

Meetings with Sánchez, Feijóo and Ayuso

Before visiting Congress, the Pope met for half an hour with Pedro Sánchez at the Apostolic Nunciature. The Spanish president, who presented him with a Spanish olive bonsai, highlighted during the meeting that the Pope's visit consolidates the bilateral relationship between the Vatican and Spain to advance in "cooperation on migration matters" and the "commitment to peace and international stability". In the afternoon, Leo XIV met with Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who hailed him as a "moral beacon" and gave him a Rafa Nadal t-shirt, and with the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.