Pope Leo XIV ‘wants to visit Spain’ this year, Madrid cardinal Jose Cobo has confirmed.
The comments followed a high-level meeting between the leadership of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) and the Vatican.
Speaking afterwards, Cobo said that Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands are currently among the locations being considered.
It will be disappointing news to the millions of believers in the strongly religious region of Andalucia.
‘This was a first meeting (in the Vatican) to begin thinking about and outlining the visit, but this is a very long process involving accreditations, requests and dialogue with the government and all state authorities,’ said Cobo, who is also vice-president of the CEE.
He added that organising a papal visit involves ‘an immense administrative and logistical machine’ that now needs to be set in motion.
According to the Madrid cardinal, an initial draft itinerary will now be presented to the Pope, who will indicate his preferences.
‘He will add the notes he sees fit,’ Cobo said, stressing that no dates have yet been confirmed.
Only after Leo XIV has reviewed the proposal will the Spanish Church be able to move forward with a structured plan of work.
The late Pope Francis expressed his desire to visit Spain, but the Argentine pontiff never made the journey before his death.
Shortly before he died in April, however, Francis took a significant step for Barcelona’s Sagrada Família and the legacy of Antoni Gaudi, by initiating the process to declare the modernist architect a saint.
A potential visit to Barcelona would also coincide with the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death, which will be marked on June 10.
Until now, several Spanish destinations have been floated for a papal visit by Leo XIV, including Barcelona, Segovia, Valladolid, the Canary Islands, Santiago de Compostela and Madrid.
The capital would likely host meetings with Spanish authorities, including the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez.
One notable possibility is Valladolid, where a visit could coincide with the 300th anniversary of the canonisation of San Toribio de Mogrovejo, a 16th-century missionary born near the city.
