Bad Bunny performs in concert at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP/Rodrigo Abd)
Pope Leo XIV and Bad Bunny may seem unlikely candidates for a shared stage, but with both the pontiff and the Puerto Rican pop star set to draw huge crowds in Madrid next week, church and city officials say a meeting — or at least a live video link — is possible.
Cardinal José Cobo, archbishop of Madrid, said in an interview with the Europa Press news agency on May 21 that a meeting between the two "is possible." He added that it could be an opportunity for "bridges to be built."
He also said the Archdiocese of Madrid wants to help make the meeting happen, but added that it will be handled discreetly and "surprises are surprises."
Speaking to a small group of reporters in Madrid, including Religion News Service, the spokesperson for the archdiocese, Sara La Torre, confirmed that Bad Bunny expressed interest in meeting the pope.
"The slogan of Madrid is that it's a crossroads of the world," said the delegate for tourism of the city of Madrid, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, "so it's not impossible to think that here will be where Pope Leo and Bad Bunny will cross paths."
On June 6, Leo will be meeting with young people for a vigil where he will answer questions in the historic Plaza de Lima, named after the capital city of Peru, where the pope lived for 20 years as a missionary and then bishop. That same night, Bad Bunny will be in concert at the Riyadh Air Metropolitan, roughly 7 miles away.
Cobo hinted that could be the opportunity to create a bridge between the two events. The deputy mayor of Madrid, Inmaculada Sanz Otero, said there is a possibility of creating a video link between the two events, showing Leo at the Metropolitan and Bad Bunny on the maxi screens in the Plaza de Lima.
"They might create a link, but nothing has been confirmed," she said, answering questions from a small group of journalists on Friday (May 29). "I think that it will happen. It seems that it will happen."
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If the video link doesn't happen, that doesn't exclude other possibilities for the two to meet. Bad Bunny will be in concert at the Metropolitan on June 7 starting at 8 p.m., around the same time Leo will be meeting with representatives from the world of art, culture, sports and business at the Movistar Arena.
The pope will also be at Bernabéu Stadium at 7 p.m. on June 8, offering another occasion for a meetup.
Leo will visit Spain for his first major European trip June 6-12. His itinerary includes the capital of Madrid, Barcelona and the islands of Gran Canary and Tenerife. While the trip will likely focus on the themes of migration, Europe's role in a fractured world and spirituality, it will also engage with the culture in Spain.
Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny was raised in a Catholic family and he claims his mother's religiosity deeply inspired his beliefs. He sang in the church choir until he was 13, but later distanced himself from institutional religion. "I don't pray, but my family does it for me," he said in a 2023 interview with Vogue Italia. The Puerto Rican pop star has also chosen Spain as the start of his European tour, with 10 concerts in Madrid and two in Barcelona. He has already sold more than 600,000 tickets, with tickets ranging from $80 to more than $1,000 on the resale market.
But the minister for culture, tourism and transportation of the community of Madrid, Mariano de Paco Serrano, said "there is far more interest in seeing the pope," adding that the city expects more than 2 million people visiting the Spanish capital to see Leo — and all the pope's events are free.
