The arrival at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport shortly after half past ten in the morning marked the official start of a trip that will run until 12 June and take in Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
It is the first apostolic visit by Leo XIV to Spain since his election as pontiff on 8 May 2025, and the first by any pope to the country in fifteen years, since Benedict XVI attended World Youth Day in 2011.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia welcomed the pontiff on the airport tarmac. From there, the journey to the Royal Palace drew tens of thousands of people onto the streets of the city centre.
According to figures from the Government Delegation, around 130,000 people packed the area between the Royal Palace and the Nunciature to watch the popemobile pass by, as it travelled along Plaza de España, Calle de la Princesa and Plaza de Colón at reduced speed so the pope could greet the faithful.
The official reception was marked by some notable absences. Former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero declined to attend, as did Basque lehendakari Imanol Pradales and MPs from most parties represented in parliament.
