During his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV delivered a historic speech to Spain’s Congress on Monday, urging elected officials to defend human dignity and protect life from conception to its natural end:
“If life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have? Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just? The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization. Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence. When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person. For this reason, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile.”
It was the first papal address ever in that setting, and the 700 guests responded with a standing ovation that lasted nearly seven minutes. Click here to read the full speech in English.
Two days later, Pope Leo traveled to Barcelona and visited the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. In a homily delivered in Catalan and Spanish, he called for unity in Christ and an end to war. “Dear brothers and sisters, we cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent. We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery.” Click here to read the full homily in English.