The Pontiff’s first visit to the country since his election coincides with an intense debate on the modernization of the Church, internal polarization and the role of Catholicism in Spanish society.
Madrid — Pope Leo
A few months into this journey, the Pontiff made his position clear in an interview collected in the book Leo XIV: Citizen of the world, missionary of the 21st century. Asked about the rights of LGTBIQ+ people, he stated that he considers it “very unlikely” that the Church will modify its teachings on sexuality and marriage in the near future. Although he insisted that “everyone is welcome” within the Catholic community, he stressed that the doctrine “will continue to be what it is.”
Unlike Pope Francis, who popularized gestures and statements that were interpreted as an openness towards homosexual people—including his famous “Who am I to judge?”—, Leo XIV seems to opt for a different formula: maintaining the language of pastoral welcome without opening the door to doctrinal changes. A difference of style rather than substance that, however, once again places the debate on sexual diversity at the center of the conversation about the future of the Church.
The declarations place Leo XIV in a position of doctrinal continuity with respect to his predecessors, but also reveal a difference in approach. The Pope has insisted on several occasions on the need to reduce confrontation within the Church and prevent especially sensitive issues from becoming new ideological trenches. In Spain, where secularization advances and the social weight of the religious institution continues to decline, the message takes on particular relevance.
The visit also occurs at a delicate moment for Spanish Catholicism. Leo Various analysts interpret the trip as an attempt at rapprochement and search for consensus in a Church marked by tensions over immigration, moral issues and the political role of the bishops.
The Pontiff has shown concern about the growing polarization. Already in meetings with Spanish bishops he warned about the risk of faith being trapped by ideological dynamics and called to maintain the Gospel as the main reference for pastoral action. More recently, he warned about a society where polarization and secularization threaten to relegate religion to a marginal role.
Outside ecclesial circles, the debate is presented differently. Various surveys show that a large majority of Spaniards demand a modernization of the Church, while issues related to equal rights for homosexual and trans people have been part of the social consensus consolidated in the country for years. The distance between this social evolution and official Catholic doctrine continues to be one of the main challenges for the institution.
For a week, Leo XIV will participate in massive events that will bring together hundreds of thousands of faithful, as well as institutional meetings with the Royal Family and representatives of civil society. The Government has declared the visit an event of public interest and estimates a significant economic and social impact.
But beyond the numbers and the logistical dimension of the trip, the visit will also serve to measure the new Pope’s ability to navigate a contradiction that runs through much of Western Catholicism: how to keep traditional doctrine on sexuality intact while trying to build a more welcoming and inclusive Church for those who feel distant from it. This tension, far from being resolved, accompanies Leo XIV at each stage of his first trip to Spain.
