Pope condemns war, European rearmament in Spain address

Pope Leo XIV told Spain’s parliament that escalating conflict, deepening polarization, and widespread disregard for human rights have pushed the world into a profound crisis, in one of his most expansive political addresses yet on June 8.

Leo, who has recently adopted a more forceful tone on global political developments, reiterated his opposition to increased European military spending and urged leaders instead to focus on ending wars and addressing migration challenges, Reuters reports.

“The world is undergoing a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, which is manifested in multiple forms of violence, polarization, and mutual distrust,” the pope said in the address, delivered hours after Israel and Iran renewed attacks on each other in the most serious test of a two-month ceasefire.

“Weapons can impose a temporary silence; but they can never build an authentic and lasting peace,” he added.

The speech, delivered in Spanish and met with a seven-minute standing ovation, marked a rare papal address to a national legislature and the first by a pope to Spain’s parliament. It comes amid a week-long visit during which Leo has met migrants and homeless people and called on leaders to reduce political division.

Highlighting migration, he said the lack of assistance for displaced people was undermining “the ethical foundation of the international order.”

He urged governments to address root causes such as war, poverty, and climate change, saying countries must go beyond “the mere management of flows.” Leo also stated that “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested above all in its capacity to accompany, protect, and love those lives that pass through the greatest fragility.”

More than 3,000 people died in 2025 attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, according to NGO Caminando Fronteras.

Pope Leo also criticized rising military expenditures in Europe, describing them as “troubling,” and called for “rigorous ethical vigilance” over the use of artificial intelligence in warfare.

He has previously called European rearmament a betrayal of diplomacy and warned against the rapid expansion of AI systems.

Addressing Church-state relations, Leo defended religious freedom, saying faith “cannot be relegated to silence as though it were irrelevant to public life,” and upheld the sanctity of the Catholic seal of confession, calling it “a sacred space of inner freedom.”

Spain’s euthanasia law, approved in 2021, and broader debates over clergy reporting obligations were indirectly referenced in discussions around ethical limits and legal protections.

After his parliamentary address, Leo met Catholic bishops and urged them to support survivors of abuse and provide reparations. The Vatican said he is expected to meet victims during the visit.

By Vafa Guliyeva