Pedro Sánchez appeared before the press this Wednesday after his meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, projecting an image of deep alignment between the Spanish government and the Pontiff. However, the press conference quickly shifted to another matter: the growing judicial and political pressure on the PSOE, the investigations affecting the socialist circle, and the staunch defense the president once again made of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
“I believe his voice is a moral compass,” Sánchez stated when referring to Pope Leo XIV, whom he praised for “always standing on the side of the most vulnerable” and for promoting “empathy in the face of unreason and the law of the jungle.”
During his remarks, the president repeatedly stressed the “alignment” between the executive and the Holy See on issues such as immigration, artificial intelligence, multilateralism, and international policy.
Peace, poverty and artificial intelligence: the axes of the meeting with the Pope
The socialist leader described the encounter with the Pontiff, which lasted around 45 minutes, as a “very valuable” conversation held “with a certain alignment,” structured around five major topics: peace, poverty, artificial intelligence, migration, and relations between the government and the Church.
On war and international policy, Sánchez said he had shared with Leo XIV a common defense of peace “through dialogue, diplomacy and words.” “Peace is not built with missiles; it is built with dialogue, with respect for international law,” the president stated.
On social issues, he also highlighted the coincidence with the Pope on matters such as poverty and the fight against hunger. “Today the world spends more on weapons and less on fighting hunger,” Sánchez lamented, while calling for an increase in Spain’s official development assistance.
One of the areas where the president sought to underscore greater affinity with Leo XIV was artificial intelligence. Sánchez said he had personally congratulated the Pontiff for dedicating his first encyclical to “human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence,” adding that “no technology is neutral” and advocating for a “humanist” AI regulated through international multilateralism.
Immigration, one of the points of greatest agreement
The migration issue also featured prominently in the press conference. “It is an area in which the Catholic Church and the Spanish government have a fairly high level of alignment,” Sánchez stated, defending “orderly” immigration and linking it to “shared prosperity.”
The president added that Leo XIV has “a very different view of the migration phenomenon” from those who appeal to so-called “national priorities.”
Sánchez also used the press conference to highlight before Cardinal Pietro Parolin the agreements reached in recent years between the government and the Church, specifically citing the victim-reparation system for abuse cases and the resignification of the Valley of Cuelgamuros as examples of “fruitful dialogue.”
Sánchez maintains his full support for Zapatero
Directly asked about the judicial reports and the information that has emerged in recent days regarding the former socialist president, Sánchez responded without qualification: “My full support for President Zapatero.”
The head of the executive said he had read the case file and found “insufficient grounds” to change his position.
Later, he reiterated the same idea, stating that he saw no “elements” that would justify modifying the stance of either the government or the PSOE regarding Zapatero.
The statements come at an especially delicate moment for Spanish socialism, marked by judicial investigations, actions by the UCO, and new revelations about individuals linked to the party’s circle.
The president downplays the political impact of the investigations
Throughout the press conference, Sánchez sought to minimize the political impact of the ongoing investigations and repeatedly defended the stability of his government against those calling for early elections.
The president insisted on distinguishing between a “search” and a “judicial summons” at the socialist headquarters, emphasizing that the PSOE maintains “total and absolute cooperation with the justice system.”
He also claimed that much of the information that has come to light amounts to “rumors,” “hoaxes,” or “fake news.”
At the same time, Sánchez maintained that none of these investigations “in any way challenges” the government’s actions or the economic and social achievements of recent years.
At several points during the press conference, the president contrasted the judicial investigations with economic growth, political stability, and the management of European funds, presenting the continuation of the legislature as a necessity for Spain.
The Pope, integrated into the government’s political narrative
The press conference also presented a striking image: the figure of Pope Leo XIV constantly appearing integrated into the government’s political and programmatic discourse.
Sánchez linked the Pontiff’s first encyclical on artificial intelligence to the policies promoted by Spain and the European Union, claimed to share a common vision with the Pope on migration and international peace, and even presented the recent agreements between the government and the Church—including the resignification of “Cuelgamuros”—as an example of the good relations with the Holy See.
Even when directly asked whether the government expected the apostolic visit to serve as endorsement of its policies, Sánchez formally denied it, although he immediately went on to argue that the alignment between the executive’s positions and those of the Pope demonstrated “the common sense” of socialist policies.