Pedro Sánchez highlights his alignment with Pope Leo XIV on global challenges such as wars, migration and Artificial Intelligence

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, in a meeting where they emphasised their shared vision on the need to defend peace through dialogue. In their first private audience since the Pontiff's election in 2025, they also discussed issues such as immigration, the fight against poverty and the impact of artificial intelligence on society.

In a press conference following the meeting, the President of the Government of Spain emphasised his alignment with His Holiness on global challenges and stated that, regarding the Middle East conflict, "Spain did not stand idly by at the start of this war, which we consider illegal, and it will not stand idly by in the face of the destruction and hunger it generates". Given this reality, he stressed that the voice of the Pontiff is "a moral compass in the fight against injustice" because he is "always on the side of the weakest, for his message of solidarity in the face of selfishness and for promoting common sense and empathy in the face of unreason and the law of the strongest".

Pedro Sánchez pointed out that "peace is not built with missiles" but with dialogue and respect for international law. In this regard, he stressed the need to fight against poverty, against malnutrition and for the defence of global health in a world that spends more on weapons than on measures to eradicate hunger and disease. Spain cannot do it alone, he said, and highlighted the fact that our country increased its official development aid by 13% in 2025.

Another issue of concern to both leaders is the impact of Artificial Intelligence on contemporary societies. In the same week that the Government of Spain approved the bill for the governance of Hyperlink technology and Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas,' in which he states that "whoever controls AI will impose their moral vision", the President of the Government of Spain expressed his agreement with the Pope's view that "no technology is neutral, and therefore Artificial Intelligence is not neutral either", adding that those who use it and the purposes for which it is used are also not neutral.

"Only multilateralism and international governance can provide us with common rules, not only from a regulatory point of view but also from an ethical and democratic responsibility to expand that magnificent humanity of which the Pope speaks in his encyclical," he said.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, appears before the media and other authorities present | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

Migration and visit to Spain

The meeting between the President of the Government of Spain and Pope Leo XIV takes place days before the first apostolic trip that His Holiness will make to Spain, which will begin on 6 June 2026. It will also be his first visit to a country of the EU and his fourth international trip, in which migration will once again be one of the pillars of his messages, as was the case during his recent tour of Africa.

In this regard, Pedro Sánchez recalled that Spain defends an orderly migration that opens up opportunities and creates prosperity for both countries of origin and host countries. "Human dignity, inherent in every person, is paramount. This includes those who distort this debate with lies, disinformation, and the fallacy of so-called national priorities", he stated.

Pedro Sánchez told His Holiness that, for Spain, "it will be an immense honour" to receive him and highlighted the figure of Pope Leo XIV as "a source of inspiration in a world that needs it more than ever" for his defence of human dignity, to protect the weakest and to work "for the hope of a world that abandons the path of war and returns to peace".

Subsequently, President Sánchez also met with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. During the meeting, they discussed matters of mutual interest in bilateral relations between Spain and the Holy See, such as the mixed system of reparation for victims of sexual abuse and the reinterpretation of the Valley of Cuelgamuros.

Non official translation