Technology was partly to blame for creating an environment which magnifies prejudices and weakens critical thinking, Leo said.
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia talk to Pope Leo XIV, alongside Leonor, Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofia, in Madrid, Spain, Jun 6, 2026. (Photo: Pool via REUTERS/EFE/Ballesteros)
07 Jun 2026 03:08AM
MADRID: Pope Leo on Saturday (Jun 6) urged global leaders to stop 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 a week-long tour of Spain.Leo, who has angered US President Donald Trump by criticising his anti-immigration policies and the Iran war, visited a Church-run shelter for the homeless in Madrid and will meet migrants in the Canary Islands during the five-stop visit.He said before touching down in Spain he hoped the tour would 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.
