After visiting Madrid and Barcelona, Pope Leo XIV concluded his fourth seven-day apostolic journey to Spain in the Canary Islands.
A delegation from the ‘United States of the World’ and the ‘Mediterranean Foundation’, hosted by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Salesian Family – founding members of the ‘United States of the World’ – took part in the various stages of the papal visit’s programme.

The “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” are participating in and supporting the “Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations”, designated by the United Nations and celebrated on 10 June each year.
“It is an important initiative,” emphasised Secretary-General Michele Capasso, “to affirm the fundamental role of dialogue at a time when we are instead overwhelmed by arrogance and the law of force.”

Pope Leo XIV spent two days in Barcelona, from 9 to 11 June. The first day was devoted to the Midday Prayer, followed by the Pope’s address during the prayer vigil at the Olympic Stadium. The following day (10 June) he visited the Brians 1 prison and recited the Rosary at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, a Benedictine monastic complex some 50 km from Barcelona, which houses the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat, also known as ‘La Moreneta’, proclaimed patron saint of Catalonia in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. This was followed by a meeting with representatives of the diocesan charitable and welfare organisations at the Church of Sant Agustí and Mass celebrated at the Sagrada Família (on the day marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí), with the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ. 
“I am thrilled to be here in Barcelona, the city where the Fondazione Mediterraneo began its work forty years ago,” said Secretary-General Michele Capasso, “but I was even more struck by the power of Pope Leo XIV’s words when he stated that ‘gratuitousness is superior to the logic of profit’.”
The Pope arrived at the “Lluís Companys” Olympic Stadium in Barcelona this evening for a prayer vigil and a dialogue with a group of young people. The stadium, which has a capacity of 55,000 spectators, is full. Near the stadium, Leo XIV blessed a convoy of ambulances and humanitarian vehicles bound for Ukraine, thanks to a humanitarian corridor organised by the Dominican nun Lucia Caram, of the Convent of Santa Chiara in Manresa, known internationally as Sister Lucia for her humanitarian initiatives.

A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” took part in the key events of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Madrid.
Secretary-General Michele Capasso summarised the highlights of the pastoral visit, stating:
“I was deeply moved because Spain is a country of great significance to us. As if in a film, I saw many friends who have supported the ‘United States of the World’ for 40 years: Cardinals Parolin and Artime, King Felipe VI, and Pope Leo XIV himself. I was struck by the calm power of his words, when, for example, he said: ‘… a just society defends every human life, the poor, peace, freedom…’. But I felt great emotion during the seven-minute standing ovation from the members of the Spanish Parliament following the speech by Pope Leo XIV, the first Pontiff to visit the Congress of Deputies, the seat of the country’s institutional, legal and democratic life. He calls for peace through the courage of negotiation, denouncing rearmament in Europe and the world: ‘True security stems from respect for international law’. He called for the defence of life and the family, as well as the protection of religious freedom. He asked for concrete responses to the migration crisis to ensure reception and integration.”
The visit was packed with many significant moments: from the meeting with the institutions to that with the Augustinians; from Holy Mass to the Vigil with young people; from the visit to Caritas to the meeting with the world of culture and art; from the Corpus Christi procession to the meeting at the Bernabéu Stadium with the diocesan community.