Pedro Sanchez has met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican ahead of the pontiff’s upcoming visit to Spain.
Sanchez arrived at the San Damaso courtyard at 8:50am local time on Wednesday, where he was welcomed with the traditional Swiss Guard honour formation before being received by Vatican protocol officials including Venezuelan diplomat Javier Ferandez and newly appointed prefect Petar Rajic.
Following the traditional greeting with Vatican gentlemen ushers, Sanchez headed to the second floor of the Apostolic Palace for his first official audience with Leo XIV since the Pope’s election last year.
According to the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, the meeting focused on several issues of ‘common interest’, including the importance of strengthening dialogue between the Catholic Church, public authorities and wider civil society.
The discussions were described as being centred on ‘mutual respect’ and the promotion of the common good.
After the papal audience, Sanchez also held meetings with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, Paul Richard Gallagher.
The Holy See described the conversations as ‘cordial’.
The Vatican also expressed satisfaction over the Pope’s imminent apostolic visit to Spain, describing it as a reflection of the ‘good relations’ between Spain and the Holy See.
International affairs featured prominently during the discussions.
According to the Vatican statement, Sanchez and senior Church officials addressed the global impact of ongoing conflicts, migration issues, multilateral cooperation, respect for international law and the need for continued efforts in favour of peace.
The visit comes just days before Pope Leo XIV is expected to travel to Spain for a major programme that reportedly includes a historic speech before Congress and a large open-air mass in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles.
