Pope Leo XIV issues historic apology, heads to Spain
newsJun 6, 20261737
Pope Leo XIV issued a historic apology for the Vatican's role in legitimizing slavery, calling it "a wound in Christian memory," then left St. Peter's Square after his June 3 general audience to begin a weeklong visit to Spain. The trip will focus on immigration and social justice, with planned stops in Madrid and Barcelona as Spain faces political turbulence under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The apology and the migrants-focused itinerary aim to confront the Church's past moral failures while addressing urgent social and political tensions in Spain today.