Pope uses Spain speech to warn of global ‘spiritual and cultural crisis’

Leo told Spanish MPs and senators that countries had a moral duty to accept and protect migrants, saying: “The tragic drama of migration … challenges the conscience of nations and the ethical foundation of the international order. Numerous men, women, and children are forced, often by dramatic circumstances, to leave their communities and abandon loved ones, their histories, and their connections.”

He called for the creation of “safe and legal pathways” and for “real possibilities of integration”. But he also urged the international community to tackle the root causes of migration by working to ensure “that no one has to leave their home because of a lack of peace, security or decent living conditions, because of economic inequalities, or because of the effects of the climate crisis”.

The pontiff, whose address met with a seven-minute ovation, also pointedly reminded his audience of the church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life.

“All human life must be recognised and protected from conception to natural death, in every circumstance of its existence,” said Leo. “When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable become the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person. Therefore, the moral greatness of a nation is shown, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect, and love those lives that are most fragile.”

Abortion was decriminalised in Spain in 1985 and legislation was relaxed in 2010 to give women the right to a termination up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. A euthanasia law was introduced in 2021.

The pope is due to attend a meeting later on Monday with survivors of sexual abuse by members of the Roman Catholic clergy. Speaking to Spanish bishops ahead of the meeting, he described the abuse as “a scourge” and said the church needed to respond “with listening, with truth, with justice and with reparation”.

However, some groups representing victims of sexual abuse have complained of being excluded from meetings with Leo.

“We don’t want a photo with the pope – we want rights and reparations for all the victims,” a coalition of the groups said in a joint statement. “Excluding survivors and groups who have been working for years for truth, justice and reparation only serves to deepen the feeling of abandonment and weariness through a negligence that has lasted for too long.”