The Vatican has formally begun preparations for a trip by Pope Leo XIV to Spain in 2026. According to Europa Press, the Secretariat of State has summoned the presidency of the Spanish Episcopal Conference to a meeting in Rome with the aim of starting to design the itinerary of the visit, which is considered practically certain to take place.
The meeting will take place on January 9 and will include the presence of the cardinals Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, and José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, as well as the president of the Spanish bishops, Luis Argüello. The appointment will be held immediately after the first extraordinary consistory convened by Leo XIV since the beginning of his pontificate.
Madrid and Barcelona, assured stages
According to the information, Madrid and Barcelona are listed as the two main stops of the trip. In Barcelona, the visit would be linked to the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, which is commemorated on June 10, 2026, and to the completion of the Tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Família, which will make the temple the tallest in the Catholic world.
Madrid would host the institutional events typical of papal trips, including a meeting with King Felipe VI and with the President of the Government, as well as meetings with the clergy, seminarians, and young people. A possible visit to the headquarters of the Spanish Episcopal Conference is also planned, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026.
A trip with possible territorial extensions
Beyond the two major capitals, Vida Nueva reports that the ongoing arrangements point to the possibility of a trip with several stages, depending on the final duration of the agenda. Among the destinations being considered are Toledo, on the occasion of the eighth centenary of its cathedral; Segovia, in the context of the jubilee for Saint John of the Cross; and Mayorga de Campos, the center of celebrations for Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo, evangelizer of Peru.
A trip to Canary Islands is also not ruled out, resuming a proposal already considered during the pontificate of Francis, with the aim of highlighting the migration crisis on Europe’s southern border.
A broad travel format, based on the arrangements
The way in which the arrangements are progressing suggests that Leo XIV might opt for a broad travel format, similar to his recent trip to Turkey and Lebanon, where he combined institutional stages with pastoral visits of strong symbolic weight.
If this dynamic is confirmed, the trip to Spain could become a prolific and territorially diverse visit, closer to the great journeys of the pontificate of Saint John Paul II than to the brief and concentrated trips of his immediate predecessors. The early summons of ecclesiastical leaders and the breadth of scenarios contemplated reinforce this impression.
A project entering the operational phase
Pope Leo XIV himself had already publicly expressed his willingness to travel to Spain, stating that invitations are not lacking and that there was “more than hope” that the trip would materialize. The meeting now convened by the Secretariat of State confirms that the project has entered an operational phase, pending official dates and a definitive program.