The Holy Father launched his six-day trip to the European country with a whirlwind first day of diplomatic visits and meetings with societal leaders.
Pope Leo XIV launched his six-day trip to Spain on June 6 by meeting with the country's royalty before holding gatherings with civic leaders and huge crowds of young people in the capital city of Madrid.
The Holy Father met with the country's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia before paying a visit to a social services project in Madrid and then finishing the day with a massive gathering of hundreds of thousands of young Spanish citizens in the city's Plaza de Lima.
See photos of Pope Leo XIV's first day in Spain below.
Pope Leo XIV waves as he prepares to board an ITA Airways flight to Spain on June 6, 2026. | Credit: Vatican MediaPope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard the papal plane from Rome to Madrid on June 6, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN NewsPope Leo XIV disembarks from an ITA Airways flight from Rome to Madrid, Spain, on June 6, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN NewsPope Leo XIV is welcomed to Spain by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, in a welcome ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN NewsPope Leo XIV addresses the king and queen of Spain, authorities, and the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in Madrid on June 6, 2026, the first day of his apostolic journey to Spain. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN NewsPope Leo XIV greets a girl in a wheelchair during a meeting with a group of around 40 people with longterm illnesses or disabilities on June 6, 2026, at the nunciature in Madrid, Spain. | Credit: Vatican Media.Pope Leo XIV hugs a boy during a meeting with a group of around 40 people with longterm illnesses or disabilities on June 6, 2026, at the nunciature in Madrid, Spain. | Credit: Vatican Media.Pope Leo XIV meets with a group of around 40 people with longterm illnesses or disabilities who are cared for by charities in the Archdiocese of Madrid on June 6, 2026, at the nunciature in Madrid, Spain. | Credit: Vatican Media.Pope Leo XIV meets staff and beneficiaries, including migrants, of the CEDIA 24 Horas center, part of the Caritas of the Archdiocese of Madrid in Spain on June 6, 2026. | Credit: Vatican MediaPope Leo XIV meets staff and beneficiaries, including migrants, of the CEDIA 24 Horas center, part of the Caritas of the Archdiocese of Madrid in Spain on June 6, 2026. | Credit: Vatican MediaPope Leo XIV meets a woman from Cuba and her twin babies during an encounter with staff and beneficiaries, including migrants, of the CEDIA 24 Horas center, part of the Caritas of the Archdiocese of Madrid in Spain on June 6, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN NewsPope Leo XIV greets young people at Madrid's Plaza de Lima, June 6, 2026. The Holy Father began his six-day apostolic visit to Spain meeting with the country's royalty and civil leaders along with hundreds of thousands of youth. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN NewsPope Leo XIV speaks with young people at Madrid's Plaza de Lima, June 6, 2026. The Holy Father began his six-day apostolic visit to Spain meeting with the country's royalty and civil leaders along with hundreds of thousands of youth. | Credit: Vatican MediaPope Leo XIV looks upon the Blessed Sacrament after a meeting with young people in Madrid's Plaza de Lima, June 6, 2026. The Holy Father began his six-day apostolic visit to Spain meeting with the country's royalty and civil leaders along with hundreds of thousands of youth. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
Amid heat and humidity, parents and grandparents packed their little ones into strollers and carriers and brought them out to view the Eucharistic pilgrimage as it made its way through the capital.
