Pope Leo urges country to stop fanning flames of polarization during first papal visit in 15 years

MADRID — Pope Leo XIV urged Spaniards on Saturday to stop “fanning the flames of polarization” as he arrived in Spain at a moment of political turmoil for the Socialist-led government and a credibility crisis for the Catholic Church.The American pope, who has Spanish ancestors, traveled to Spain dozens of times as a priest, but this is the first visit by a pope in 15 years.It signals Leo is returning papal attention to Europe’s Christian roots after Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centers of Christianity in favor of smaller Catholic communities farther away.Leo is seemingly keen to bring his message of peace, unity and human dignity to a continent sorely polarized over migration, Russia’s war in Ukraine and anxiety over artificial intelligence.The pope opened his weeklong trip in Madrid, greeted at the airport by the country’s Catholic monarchs, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

He told reporters, while traveling, that he was particularly heartened by reports of a spiritual awakening among young people in the once-staunchly Catholic but now secularized country.During his welcome address, Leo appealed to Spaniards, especially political leaders, to put polemics aside and invest in educating young people to appreciate diversity and complexity rather than shunning them.“Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated,” Leo said.He appealed to Spain’s place at the heart of Christian Europe to serve as a model for the rest of the continent, while also recalling the country’s 800-year Moorish past, when cities like Toledo and Córdoba became, he said, “centers of dialogue between languages, religions and knowledge.”“For the love of truth, I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarizing narratives of your societal reality and history,” he said.Doing so w...