Pope says Catholic Church sexual abuse remains an open wound

Pope Leo XIV opened his first trip to Spain by confronting one of the Catholic Church’s deepest scars, saying sexual abuse remained “an open wound” as he prepared to meet survivors during the visit.

The 70-year-old arrived in Madrid for the first papal state visit to Spain since 2010, beginning a week-long tour with an airport welcome from King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The Vatican said he will meet victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, and the Pope told reporters aboard the papal plane on arrival that the crisis was “still an open wound”.

An estimated 200,000 minors have suffered abuse in Spain since 1940, according to a 2023 report by the country’s national ombudsman.

Madrid was set for a ceremonial reception at the royal palace, followed by a prayer vigil near Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, where 400,000 mostly young people are expected to gather.

Speaking to journalists on the plane, the Pope said he was “very pleased by the reports” suggesting growing interest among young people in the Catholic Church.

“They realise there’s an emptiness, and a lack of a sense of meaning, and perhaps my visiting is helping to awaken even further something,” he said.

His arrival in the Spanish capital comes as Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny performs a run of concerts there, a contrast some have seized on as a symbol of younger generations pulled between pop culture and faith.

“I think many will see Bad Bunny. But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something,” the Pope said, acknowledging the competing draws on young audiences.

Migration takes centre stage

The Pope also voiced alarm over Ukraine as Russia’s invasion stretches into its fifth year.

“I am worried about Ukraine, every time the situation gets worse… It’s been four and a half years. We need to find a solution,” he said.

About a million people are expected to attend a Mass in central Madrid tomorrow.

Over the course of the trip, Leo XIV will address the Spanish parliament and bless the new tower of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Basilica, now the tallest church in the world.

Later, in the Canary Islands on Thursday and Friday, he will meet migrants and the groups assisting them, and will join Sanchez in paying tribute to the thousands who have died trying to reach Europe.

The Canaries, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of west Africa, have become the main gateway for irregular migrants entering Spain after long and perilous crossings from Africa.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration estimates that 1,172 migrants died or disappeared on that route in 2025, only slightly below the 1,215 recorded in 2024.

A country deeply divided

Unlike many of its European partners, Spain under Mr Sanchez’s left-wing government has maintained a comparatively liberal approach to immigration.

That stance, however, has come under sustained attack from the main conservative Popular Party and from Vox, the far-right anti-immigration party that is now the country’s third political force.

Leo XIV “is arriving in a polarised country where different players could try to take advantage of the visit”, said Rafael Rubio, the Church’s spokesman for the Spanish visit.

“Ensuring that his message reaches everyone and speaks to everyone is a major challenge,” he said.

Authorities are deploying around 15,000 members of the national police and Guardia Civil for the visit, alongside local police forces.

The trip also marks a notable turn after his predecessor, Francis, largely passed over many of Europe’s traditional Catholic strongholds where, as in Spain, religious observance has been declining sharply.