Pope Leo XIV said that although he is considering a final appeal to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, the choice to splinter from the Catholic Church falls on them.
Amid the loneliness and despair of life behind bars, God continues to love and encourage the imprisoned to not let the sorrows of their past deter them from the hope of a better future, Pope Leo XIV told prisoners in Barcelona.
Pope Leo XIV found himself in the midst of Spain's two classic culture wars as he landed in Barcelona on Tuesday during his weeklong visit to the country.
Pope Leo XIV met with victims of clergy sex abuse Monday in Madrid, engaging with the abuse crisis that has loomed large over the papal visit. But the issue of clergy abuse remains far from settled in Spain.
Pope Leo XIV warned of a "profound spiritual and cultural crisis" gripping the world, taking aim at war, rearmament and the decay of international cooperation in one of his most politically charged speeches since becoming pope just over a year ago.
Pope Leo XIV brought bustling Madrid to a halt Sunday, drawing 1.2 million people — the largest crowd he has encountered yet in his 13-month pontificate — for his first public Mass in Spain and a Eucharistic procession through the Spanish capital.
"This will be, without discussion, the most special flight of my life," Pablo Martínez Núñez said. He and the crew have some surprises planned for the prelate.
"The temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated," the pontiff said.
