Pope Leo XIV concluded his apostolic journey to the Spanish state this Friday, leaving behind many political messages. The head of the Catholic Church, with more than 1.4 billion faithful worldwide according to data from the Holy See, has been increasing his geopolitical impact for months. What has he emphasized in this week's 22 interventions?

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, is playing the immigration card to counter the right, coinciding with the moral battle waged by Leo XIV on the same issue. This Friday, the state executive received the blessing of the head of the Catholic Church for its humanitarian work with newcomers. From the Las Raíces immigrant reception center in La Laguna, Tenerife, which houses 700 arrivals from the Canary coast, the Holy Father was clear: "I appreciate the collaboration of the government, various institutions, and so many men and women of good will who make this humanitarian aid possible," he emphasized, in a speech in French so that the 250 people who could witness it would understand.

"Dear migrants, I want to bow before your dignity. Human dignity has no passport nor does it lose value when crossing a border." With these words, Pope Leo XIV made a call this Thursday to shake consciences about immigration and shamed xenophobia from the place where the drama of immigration in Spain is experienced most intensely: the Canary Islands. In an event with immigrants from the Arguineguín pier, in Gran Canaria, also known as the "pier of shame" – where nearly 3,000 people were crammed during the pandemic – he strongly criticized Europe's "indifference" and asked for "an examination of conscience." An examination that he extended to the countries of origin and transit, regarding the conditions that drive emigration and recruitment by mafias, in a plea for international cooperation.

The tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Família and Catalonia are blessed as a beacon of Christendom. Pope Leo XIV, predominantly using Catalan in the homily and blessing, crowned Antoni Gaudí's masterpiece this Wednesday with the blessing of the tower of Jesus, coinciding with the centenary of the death of the "architect of God", as the pontiff defined him.

In Montserrat, the spiritual heart of Catalonia, Saint Ignatius of Loyola examined his sins to begin leading a life in God's service, abandoning the sword that had always accompanied him as a knight. With this reference and commending himself to La Moreneta, Pope Leo XIV made a strong plea for peace this Wednesday in a turbulent world. "May hatred give way to hope and peace," he stated from inside the basilica after the rosary prayer presided over by himself. But he also had a message in favor of immigration when he finished his speech: "Thank you, Catalonia, for having welcomed so many people from other countries, because you teach how to integrate everyone into a single family," he said from the outside, in line with what he had defended on Tuesday at the Lluís Companys Stadium.

The day has arrived. Pope Leo XIV landed this Tuesday in Catalonia and in his first homily from Barcelona Cathedral, he has already made several parts in Catalan. Beyond starting and closing in the country's language, he has delivered entire paragraphs, although the use of Spanish has been predominant – a language he knows well and which marked his life as a bishop in Peru. The pontiff stated that "Barcelona is called the capital of Catalonia" and spiced up the claim with the fact that this gives "Barcelonians and Catalans" a "special vocation" to become "builders of unity".

At the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, foreign players, the most important in the squad, have long been cheered. Vinícius, Rodrygo, Valverde, and Mbappé arrived in Madrid as professional athletes and, despite some racist episodes inherent in the world of football, the integration of privileged people has never been a major problem. But this Monday at the Bernabéu, a different kind of foreigner was being cheered, those who had to leave their homeland to find "better opportunities".

At the headquarters of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, in front of all the bishops, who were wearing the zucchetto, Pope Leo XIV called this Monday for decisive action against the "pederasty" perpetrated by priests and religious of the Catholic Church: "Justice and reparation," he summarized. The pontiff defended a zero-tolerance policy against what he described as a "plague." "The ecclesial community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation, and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care," he insisted. In this regard, the Pope also admitted that "hurt people must be able to find sincere listening, warmth, protection, and real paths to healing.

The Catholic Church in Catalonia has lost strength in recent decades, but retains a notable vitality and symbolic weight. In fact, 57.2% of Catalans identify as Catholics – five points more than twelve years ago – according to data from the latest CEO religiosity barometer, from 2023, although practice is another matter. How is the Church doing in such a secularized society? Is there a resurgence of faith?

Pope Leo XIV will be in Barcelona on Tuesday and Wednesday, but there are Catalans who did not want to miss this weekend's massive vigil and mass in Madrid. This is the case of a dozen people who have moved heaven and earth to be there and do a double. "We have come to enjoy," they assure ARA.

After assigning homework to politicians in a forceful intervention at the Royal Palace of Madrid, this Sunday the Pope continued in the same vein and addressed businessmen. At this afternoon's event at the Movistar Arena, which featured a combination of artists, athletes, and union and business representatives, Leo XIV once again raised his voice to ask businessmen to treat workers "with dignity".

In addition to praying, one must work. In a subtle way and in front of a massive participation of half a million young people at the vigil – according to the Spanish government delegation – Pope Leo XIV addressed this message to the gathered boys and girls in Madrid this Saturday.

Pope Leo XIV will land next Tuesday in Catalonia, a country with a strong link to the Holy See since its birth. Relations have had their ups and downs, especially when Catalonia had a voice and vote in the world, with the Catalan kings of the Crown of Aragon. After the disappearance of the Papal States in 1870, the great shift occurred with the Second Vatican Council. The bond, however, also raises a question: why does the senyera have the same colors as the flag of the Papal States?

An honorific welcome to Pope Leo XIV with international resonance and a defense of Catalonia and Catalan "national language and identity". FC Barcelona, various social entities such as Òmnium and the ANC, other Catholic organizations, former presidents of the Generalitat and Parliament, and numerous political and religious personalities have signed a manifesto published as an advertisement this Friday in some international media, such as Avvenire or Corriere della Sera, as well as Catalan ones like ARA.

Following the controversy generated by the publication of the missal in which Catalan was excluded from the blessing of the tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Família, steps were taken within the Catalan episcopate to convey to Pope Leo XIV that Catalan should also be used there, as the ARA reported. Specifically, numerous bishops, as well as politicians, reacted so that the Archbishopric of Barcelona would take action to increase the use of Catalan. However, this Thursday the Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona, Joan Josep Omella, confirmed at the Càritas Barcelona press conference that the Pope "will speak in Catalan" at this event, as well as in Spanish. That is to say, the Holy See has agreed to listen to the plea of the Catalan dioceses, even though the cardinal has overlooked the concrete effect these movements have had. Textually, Omella commented that he "will bless a part in Catalan": "He will speak Catalan as far as he can reach," he stated.

That the Sagrada Família has a strong political charge in itself has been demonstrated this very week by the controversy over the use of Catalan in the blessing of the tower of Jesus by Pope Leo XIV on June 10. As the poet Joan Maragall said in 1905 in an article in the Diario de Barcelona: "The Sagrada Família is the monument of Catalan identity in Barcelona, it is the symbol of eternally ascending piety, it is the concretization in stone of the yearning for height, it is the image of the popular soul". The symbolism of Antoni Gaudí's work had a political and social message from its beginnings, not just a religious one. It connects with the unique personality of the architect, a deeply Catalanist, conservative man involved in social Catholicism.

The low presence of Catalan in the events planned for the visit of Pope Leo XIV has unleashed a wave of indignation and a chain reaction in Catalonia. In recent hours, the political sphere, led by the Government and the Parliament, along with civil society entities and a good part of the Catalan Church itself, have raised their voices to demand that the Vatican rectify and grant Catalan a leading role. According to various sources consulted by ARA, in fact, an agreement is being finalized to inform the Vatican that Catalan will finally also be present in the blessing at the Tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Familia. Consulted by ARA, the Archdiocese of Barcelona, headed by Joan Josep Omella, denies that any change has been communicated to the Vatican so far.

Two years have already passed since the final approval of the amnesty law, but the hottest part is still to come. For example, it has only been recognized in just over half (52%) of the cases of activists where it should have been applied, according to data provided by Alerta Solidària. 181 protesters have benefited from it, and also 64 pro-independence political officials. In total, 245 people have had their criminal liability extinguished, but there are 257 who are still pending, either because they have been rejected outright or because the courts have not yet ruled. The basic difference arises when compared to the police officers who were indicted: only 4 out of 162 have been denied amnesty.

The visit of Pope Leo XIV to Catalonia has caused bewilderment, at least regarding the use of language. The official official missal for the visit to the State was published this Monday and allows us to confirm that the Catalan language is marginalized to a secondary role in Catalonia, with Spanish having a preeminent role. It is so prevalent that there will even be important parts exclusively in Spanish, such as the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ of the Sagrada Familia basilica, which will coincide with the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, an architect deeply committed to Catalanism.

Has the legislature reached its end in Spain? In Junts, they are convinced that the PSOE government has no more room to maneuver and that elections should be called, but Pedro Sánchez seems willing to hold on, and the opposition only has one way to force him to leave Moncloa: a motion of no confidence with the help of PP and Vox, which Junts is not willing to explore. This is the dilemma being experienced today within Junts, clearly expressed under the leadership of the leader in Congress, Miriam Nogueras.