The Pope's historic visit to Congress grants Sánchez a truce over corruption and forces Abascal to break his veto

Since the arrival this Saturday of Pope Leo XIV in Spain, nothing else is being talked about. The Pontiff is making a historic apostolic journey with an agenda full of multitudinous and institutional events. The coverage and follow-up of the visit are constant in most media, which has relegated other political current affairs to a secondary plane. At least, for now. Or until the Pope continues his journey through Catalonia and the Canary Islands.

One of the milestones of this visit will occur tomorrow, when Leo XIV faces the polarized Spanish politics in the Congress of Deputies. In a few hours, he will become the first Pope to deliver a speech before the Lower House and the representatives of the citizenry —though not all: the deputies of Podemos and BNG have announced they will not attend— gathered in a joint session.

A measured intervention is expected, but without avoiding the most controversial issues. After thanking the Spanish Government in the Royal Palace for its “fidelity to international law and multilateralism, which translates into an active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples,” the Pontiff could place conflicts such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the migratory challenge, and the defense of the most disadvantaged at the center of his speech.

The Pope will address deputies and senators gathered for the occasion in Congress from the tribune. Alongside him will be the President of the Chamber, Francina Armengol, who will deliver some welcoming words, and the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán. Also attending, as could not be otherwise, will be the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who will share institutional prominence in a session marked by the exceptionality of the visit.

Human priority versus national priority: Abascal breaks his promise

Weeks ago, the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, confirmed in an interview in 'El Debate' that he would attend the session that will mark the beginning of the political week. In parallel, in recent days, the party's secretary general, Ignacio Garriga, has assured that the visit will be received “with enthusiasm” and has insisted that the formation's discrepancies are not with the Church, but with some bishops. All this while Vox denounces that the papal trip acts as a “smokescreen” that will allow the Government to temporarily divert attention from the corruption scandals affecting it.

What seems inevitable is that Abascal's party will have to listen to a speech predictably far removed from some of its main political banners. Leo XIV has already on several occasions defended the reception of migrants and warned against speeches that fuel social division, positions that clash with the defense of national priority and the toughening of migratory policy that Vox has made one of its hallmarks and that continues to mark a good part of the agreements reached with the Popular Party.

Abascal's presence also has an important political charge. His attendance breaks the line he had maintained until now of not sharing any institutional act with the President of the Government. In fact, the leader of Vox even absented himself from the reception offered by the King on the occasion of the National Day last October 12 to avoid coinciding with Pedro Sánchez.

Sánchez's truce will last until Wednesday

After the papal visit, Congress will resume ordinary activity with a plenary session that will exceptionally begin on Wednesday. In the government control session, Sánchez will be questioned by Alberto Núñez Feijóo and by the Executive's parliamentary partners about the future of the legislature and the stability of the majority that supports him.

The latest revelations about the Leire case and the indictment of former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will once again place corruption at the center of the political debate. The Popular Party will take advantage of the session to redouble pressure on the Executive's partners and demand an election call, especially focusing on PNV and Junts, whom it holds responsible for keeping Sánchez in La Moncloa.

The week's parliamentary agenda also includes new meetings in the Senate of the investigation committees on the Koldo case and the actions of SEPI, with the aim of expanding the lists of those summoned after the new developments known in the Leire case summary.

In addition, the Director General of the Civil Guard, Mercedes González, will appear on Thursday before the Senate's Interior Committee to give explanations about her meetings with former socialist militant Leire Díez, investigated as the alleged coordinator of a plot aimed at obstructing police and judicial actions affecting the Government and the PSOE.

The visit of Leo XIV will monopolize political and media attention for 48 hours. However, once the echoes of his speech on dialogue, coexistence, and understanding leave Congress, the Chamber will return to a much less solemn reality: that of a legislature marked by confrontation, corruption, and uncertainty about how much longer the Government can resist. This is precisely what they emphatically point out from Genoa, where they assume that the papal visit will grant Moncloa a brief respite, but will not alter the course of the political and judicial offensive against the Executive. “The Pope will leave, but the judges will not,” sources from the popular leadership summarize to make clear their intention to maintain pressure on Sánchez in the coming weeks.