Escalating conflicts, deepening polarization and widespread violations of human rights have plunged the world into a deep crisis, Pope Leo XIV declared on Monday. in the Spanish Parliament. TASR informs about it according to the Reuters and AFP agencies.
“The world is going through a deep spiritual and cultural crisis, which manifests itself in many forms of violence, polarization and mutual distrust,” the pope said in a speech he delivered hours after Israel and Iran renewed their attacks on each other.
The world called for “patient dialogue” and again criticized the increase in military spending by European states. “Weapons can enforce temporary silence, but they can never build an authentic and lasting peace,” declared Leo XIV.
Politikov instead asked for an end to the wars and to provide aid to migrants. “The tragic drama of migration… questions the conscience of nations and the ethical foundations of today’s international order,” he concluded. In his words, there should be “safe and legal routes, polite reception and real opportunities for integration.” He added that countries should address the causes that force people to leave their homes, including war, poverty and climate change.
The Pope’s visit to Spain will culminate on Thursday and Friday in the Canary Islands, where he will meet migrants who have made the perilous journey across the Atlantic to reach Europe.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, more than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the archipelago. According to the agencies, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promotes a relatively liberal policy on immigration and, among other things, launched a mass amnesty program that allows some 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.
On Wednesday, the Pope will bless the new tower of architect Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, which recently became the tallest church in the world.
Monday’s address was one of the few papal speeches before the national legislature and the first ever by the head of the Catholic Church before the Spanish parliament. Leo XIV. in it, he also called for “strict ethical vigilance” regarding the use of artificial intelligence in war conflicts.
He asked Spanish lawmakers to defend human life “from conception to its natural end.” AFP reminds that the government in Madrid legalized euthanasia in 2021 and wants the right to abortion to be enshrined in the Spanish constitution.
Pope Leo XIV. later at the nunciature, during a meeting with Spanish bishops, he condemned cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and called for a “culture of care” ahead of an expected private meeting with victims.
“In the face of this scourge, the church community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an increasingly decisive commitment to prevention and a culture of care,” the pope told the bishops. “Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, acceptance, protection and real paths to healing,” he said.
A 2023 report by the Spanish Ombudsman stated that since 1940 there have been approximately 200,000 cases of abuse by clergy. The government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish Catholic Church signed an agreement in March to compensate the victims after years of reticence and lack of transparency on the part of the church hierarchy.
