World News

As Pope Leo XIV prepares for his June 6-12 apostolic visit to Spain, Church leaders say he will encounter a Catholic community at a pivotal moment. While the number of Spaniards identifying as Catholic has declined in recent decades, many observers point to signs of renewed interest among young people.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication on June 2.

A Caritas center called CEDIA 24 Horas Social Project is part of the social ministry of the Church of Madrid for those who are homeless and that’s where Pope Leo will head right after the meeting with the royals, diplomats and Spanish authorities — sending a clear message of priorities to Spanish society and the country’s politicians.

As the first pope in modern history to have spent much of his priestly ministry as a missionary, Pope Leo arrives in Spain June 6 with a unique familiarity not only with the country itself — which he has visited almost 50 times — but also with the missionary tradition that helped shape Catholicism across much of the world.