Key facts
- Pope Leo XIV visited Gran Canaria to meet migrants and volunteers.
- The Pope criticized European governments for their indifference to migrants.
- Pope Leo XIV addressed a youth rally in Barcelona, Spain.
- The rally included discussions on depression, domestic violence, and toxic family relationships.
- Pope Leo XIV called for better mental health services and care for domestic violence victims.
Pope Leo XIV visited Gran Canaria to meet migrants and volunteers, advocating for humane treatment and criticizing European governments for indifference. He warned that history would condemn indifference to migrant deaths and emphasized that human dignity transcends borders. The Pope also called for legal and safe pathways for immigration.
In Barcelona, the Pope presided over an evening rally for Spain's youth, drawing an estimated 40,000 people. The event featured a frank discussion of difficult topics, including depression, domestic violence, and toxic family relationships. Several young attendees shared personal stories, prompting the Pope to thank them for their honesty and to blame societal demands for perfection and the silencing of suffering for youth malaise. He compared the "silent illness" of depression to the suffering of Christ and identified abusive families as a significant problem.
Pope Leo XIV urged young people to find solace in their faith and demanded better health services and care for mental health problems and domestic violence. He emphasized a message of hope for Spain's youth, a country with a strong secular bent but recent indications of increasing spiritual interest among young adults. The Pope also spoke in Catalan during the prayer vigil and will inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at Sagrada Familia basilica on Wednesday.