The Pope León XIV has received this Monday by surprise the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in the Vaticano in an audience that was not on the official agenda of the Pontífice. The meeting, which lasted about 20 minutes, took place on a particularly intense day on which the Pope had up to nine meetings scheduled.
The meeting took place on the eve of the trip that León XIV will make to Spain between June 6 and 12, an institutional visit whose program has not yet been detailed. Albares, who was in the Holy See to meet with the secretary for Relations with States, monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, accepted the invitation of the Pontiff to hold this unexpected meeting.
After the meeting, the minister valued the gesture as a sign of closeness towards Spain. “I receive it as a strong gesture of recognition and of friendship and of affection towards Spain”, affirmed Albares from Saint Peter's Square, also underlining the relevance of having been received on a day with such a busy agenda on the part of the Pope.
During the conversation, both addressed the preparations for the papal trip, which will include stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canarias. The minister personally handed the Pontiff the official invitation from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and highlighted that the dialogue took place entirely in Spanish, a language that León XIV masters due, among other factors, to his family ties with Spain.
Albares also highlighted the “great coincidence” between Spain and the Holy See in international affairs, emphasizing a shared vision based on the defense of human dignity, respect for international law and the rejection of war. According to him, both agree on key issues such as the situation in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, the management of migratory flows or the fight against climate change.
The minister's day in Rome began with the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Spanish embassy to Italy, located in Piazza Navona, and concluded with his visit to the Vatican. Before concluding his appearance before the media, Albares avoided commenting on other current issues, limiting himself to reaffirming the Government's position on Ceuta and Melilla and concluding his intervention after a day marked by this unexpected audience that anticipates the Pontiff's next visit to Spain.
