King Felipe and Queen Letizia looked the vision of joy as they welcomed The Pope to Spain on Saturday.The Royals hosted Pope Leo, 70, in a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, marking the first papal visit to the country since Benedict XVI visited in 2011. Thousands lined the streets of central Madrid, some waving Vatican and Spanish flags under clear spring skies, as Leo toured in an open-air popemobile. During the apostolic journey, the Pope will also visit Barcelona, the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.Pope Leo was greeted with a handshake and a bow by the royal couple who were all smiles as they honoured the religious leader.Queen Letizia, 53, looked ever so regal in a floor-length white lace dress, accessorising with a statement white buckled belt.Meanwhile King Felipe, 58, sported a polished look in a tailored black suit and gold striped tie as he posed next to Pope Leo. He was also joined by the couple's daughters Princess Sofia, 19, and Princess Leonor, 20, who matched in shirt-style long black dresses which were cinched at the waist by belts. King Felipe and Queen Letizia looked the vision of joy as they welcomed The Pope to Spain on Saturday The Royals hosted Pope Leo in a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, marking the first papal visit to the country since Benedict XVI visited in 2011 (left: Princess Leonor, right: Princess Sofia) Pope Leo was greeted with a handshake and a bow by the royal couple who were all smile as they honoured the religious leaderCommanding attention comes with the territory of being The Pope - but for the first time he has had to compete for it.Pope Leo conceded that his fans' eyes were diverted to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny who was also in Madrid. The pope's visit coincides with 10 days of concerts by the star, and local church officials have indicated a meeting between the two is possible, but not confirmed, while the pope is in Madrid. Bad Bunny will perform on Saturday at football club Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano stadium, while the pope will meet young people in the square outside the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, home to bitter rival Real Madrid.The artist is performing two shows of his 10-concert tour in the Spanish capital.Leo acknowledged the face-off: 'If they are confronted with the question "Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?" I think many will see Bad Bunny. 'But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.'Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane, Leo acknowledged the Bad Bunny draw when he referred to anecdotal reports of a newfound spiritual awakening especially among young people in Spain.The American pope said he understood that young adults are sensing a lack of meaning in their lives and mused that his visit might help 'awaken' something in them.The Pope's week-long visit to Spain will include several engagements focused on marginalised people, migrants and youth.He's hoping to bring a message of unity in a country polarised with political and church scandals. Thousands lined the streets of central Madrid, some waving Vatican and Spanish flags under clear spring skies, as Leo toured in an open-air popemobile The Pope was also joined by the couple's daughters Princess Sofia, 19, and Princess Leonor, 20 The sisters matched in shirt-style long black dresses which were cinched at the waist by beltsPope Leo urged global leaders to avoid dividing their electorates with 'sterile simplifications' to gain popularity and called on them to listen to the world's cries for peace, in a forceful speech opening his tour of Spain. Leo, who has angered US President Donald Trump by criticising his anti-immigration policies and the Iran war, will meet homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands during a visit he has said he hopes will set an example to the world about respecting 'every human being.' 'Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarisation seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated,' Leo said in a speech before King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid.'I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarising narratives of your societal reality and history, so as to overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity.'Technology was partly to blame for creating an environment which magnifies prejudices and weakens critical thinking and that the world was crying 'from its depths for peace,' he said.He drew on Spain's history as an example of peaceful co-habitation between religions and cultures, making reference to how Christians, Muslims and Jews cooperated during medieval times to enhance human knowledge by translating Arabic texts into Latin, Spanish and Hebrew at the School of Translators in Toledo.'Your own history suggests that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity. 'In reality, the message of peace, which at present unfortunately strikes some as naïve and others as confrontational, is welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies, but are rather open to the truth,' he said. Pope Leo conceded that his fans' eyes were diverted to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny who was also in Madrid Leo, who has adopted a more assertive tone against the direction of global leadership in recent months, is scheduled to give more than 20 speeches during his first trip to a European Union country outside Italy, and will be the first pope to address the Spanish parliament.Leo spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pope last May, and will speak Spanish throughout most of the trip.But when he meets migrants in Tenerife, part of the Spanish Canary Islands archipelago off the west coast of Africa, he expects to speak French, as many have come from Francophone Africa. In sharp contrast to many leading Western powers, not least Trump's United States, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government has opened a mass amnesty program, allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, often in makeshift dinghies, according to the NGO ​Caminando Fronteras. Sanchez has been lauded abroad by some for criticizing Trump, but at home is under heavy pressure from a string of corruption allegations against his party.During his trip, the first US head of the Catholic Church will also inaugurate a new tower in Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia basilica and will meet survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the Vatican said, adding that further details will be provided after the meeting.In a speech welcoming Leo to Spain, King Felipe acknowledged the pain caused by the cases of abuse and said the pope's 'clarity and firmness' were 'essential in the process of healing and reparation for the harm inflicted.'Leo was also asked about news that plans are moving ahead for his beloved Chicago Bears to move to Hammond, Indiana. The board of the team voted this week to move forward with a stadium development project in Hammond.Asked if he had any words of consolation for Illinois, the Chicago-born pope quipped: 'That's out of my pay (scale).'In other sporting comments, Leo confirmed he would root for the US in the upcoming World Cup but showed his true team colors when asked about whether he would root in Spain for Real Madrid or Barca.He said: 'That's easy: The pope is for all teams, but Prevost is Real Madrid,' referring to his birth name.