Pope Leo XIV stood before Spain's Las Cortes Generales on Monday and called for respect for migrants' rights and international law, marking the first time a pope has ever addressed Spanish lawmakers.
According to ABC News, the address signaled a new level of acceptance of the Catholic Church in what has become an overwhelmingly secular country. The Catholic Church was a pillar of Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorship and enjoyed broad control over Spanish society, but that influence waned after democracy took root in the 1970s. While many Spaniards still identify as Catholic, religious observance has dropped sharply in recent decades.
Despite that backdrop, lawmakers gave Leo a minutes-long standing ovation with chants of "Viva el Papa!" after his speech. The American pope told the chamber that a "moral renewal" was necessary in legislatures and public life to ensure respect for the inherent dignity of all people, including migrants, the unborn, and the most vulnerable. "The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile," he said.
Speeches by popes to foreign legislatures are rare. Pope Francis addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress in 2015, and Pope Benedict XVI addressed Germany's Bundestag in 2011.
Leo's address came as Israel and Iran were exchanging fire in the Middle East. He called for dialogue and restated a position he has taken before. "Peace demands diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility and a vision for the future grounded in respect for the identity of every people and in the obligation of states to resolve their disputes through the peaceful means offered by international law," he said.
He also addressed European rearmament, expressing concern that defense budgets were growing as countries respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Trump administration's signals of reduced military support. "It is therefore a cause for concern that, in various parts of the world — and in Europe as well — rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation," Leo said.
The pope also renewed his call for "rigorous ethical oversight" of automated weapons systems built on artificial intelligence, arguing that "decisions regarding life and death are never left to automated systems nor removed from the moral responsibility of the human person."
