Pope Leo XIV has pronounced a historical discourse This Monday, June 8, before the Cortes Generales, being the first occasion in which a Pontiff takes the floor in the Congress of Deputies. The head of the Vatican City State addressed deputies, senators and representatives of the main Spanish institutions during a joint session held at the Palace of the Cortes.
Upon his arrival from the Apostolic Nunciature, Leo XIV was received by the President of the Congress, Francina Armengol; the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán; the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez; and other State authorities. Before them, the Pontiff delivered a speech that will become one of the most significant moments of his official visit to Spain. This is the full text of his speech:
President of the Government,
President of the Congress of Deputies,
President of the Senate,
President of the Constitutional Court,
President of the Supreme Court and the General Council of the Judiciary,
Members of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I thank Madam President for her kind words, as well as for the invitation that the Apostolic See has received on the occasion of my trip to this country, and for the deference of welcoming me to this historic Palace of the Congress of Deputies, an eminent place in the institutional, juridical and democratic life of the Kingdom of Spain. I come before you all as Bishop of Rome and Pastor of the Catholic Church, aware that the mission entrusted to the Successor of the Apostle Peter as the principle and foundation of the unity of the Bishops and of the faithful (cf. Lumen gentium, 23) places the Holy See, in a special way, in dialogue with peoples and States.
My presence among you is meant to be a gesture of closeness to Spain, in the framework of mutual cooperation, and a word offered in service to the human person. The Church “walks with humanity”, shares its hopes and its wounds, listens to the questions of every age and allows herself to be challenged “by everything that concerns the existence of men and women today”. For this reason, when he addresses himself to public life, he does so with respect for the proper mission of institutions and the legitimate responsibility of those who have received the mandate to legislate. It recognizes “the autonomy of earthly realities” and “the distinction between ecclesial community and political community”; and, precisely from this awareness, it offers a reflection born of the desire to serve the common good and to recall what makes living together truly human (cf. Magnifica humanitas, 18- 19).
In this hemicycle, social coexistence is given legal form. Here differences are listened to, ordered and, when possible, converted into a shared decision. For this reason, beyond the legitimate diversity of positions, every legislative task ends up facing a decisive question: what conception of the human person inspires the laws and what kind of society these laws build.
In this regard, Spain has a particularly rich memory. Its geographical and political identity has been interwoven with a history in which faith and reason, art and law, tradition and thought have met fruitfully. In its cathedrals and universities, in its immortal literature, in its legal institutions and in the very spirit of its people, a heritage remains alive that has shaped a way of living freedom, practicing justice and ordering the common life.
From the universal pages of the Quixote, where Cervantes proclaimed that «freedom [...] is one of the most precious gifts given to men by the heavens» (Don Quixote of La Mancha, II, 58), to the spiritual depth of St. Teresa of Avila, and from the great Spanish juridical tradition to the metaphysical restlessness of Unamuno, who reminded us that man «does not resign himself to die completely» (Of the tragic feeling of life, I), Spain has been able to look at the human being as something more than a part of the social, economic or political order: it has recognized him as a creature open to truth, endowed with freedom and moved by a thirst for eternity that no temporal reality can extinguish; in a word, as someone whose dignity precedes all utility and to whose service legislative action is subject.
That is why, when speaking today of the human person, this memory leads naturally to Salamanca and to the thought that matured there. The symbolic presence in this room of Kings Isabella and Ferdinand refers to that moment when Spain was placed before historical responsibilities of universal scope; a few years later, Salamanca would assume, with singular lucidity, the moral and legal reflection that this scenario demanded. In that university seat, five hundred years ago, when new worlds and immense possibilities were opening up in the relations between peoples, some masters understood that reason could not be invoked to clothe with legitimacy whatever force or interest presented as convenient. They thus introduced into historical discernment the question of the irreducible value of every human being and the moral limits of power. It must be recognized that society and the Church itself did not always live up to the intuitions echoed in their own Christian tradition.
However, that question opened an intellectual and moral horizon that went beyond its own historical moment. The intuition of the totus orbis, The idea of a human community broader than any particular power allowed the existence of juridical and moral bonds between peoples to be affirmed. From Spain, the reflection of the School of Salamanca -and in particular Fray Francisco de Vitoria, together with other Dominicans and Jesuits- contributed to the formation of a juridical and moral conscience capable of remembering that authority always carries with it a responsibility and that every human being must be recognized as a subject of rights and duties. This yearning continues to speak even today: that dignity, justice and the common good be the measure of social relations, both nationally and internationally.
This is one of Spain's great legacies: to have united historical action with the lucidity of moral reason. That contribution, born on the banks of the Tormes, transcended classrooms and libraries, and became part of a broader conscience, shared by the international community that continues to ask itself how to build peace on the recognition of the individual and not on the imposition of force. This legacy also lives on in these Courts, every time the legislator wonders how to make the possible just, the legal truly humane, and the will of the majority safeguard those goods that belong to all and respect that which no majority can legitimately violate.
The Salamanca question continues to accompany the work of those who serve public life. Today, the new worlds opening up before us are no longer drawn on maps: they are unfolding in technology, in the economy, in biomedicine and in the digital universe, where human power reaches ever more delicate areas of personal and social life.
Progress offers admirable possibilities, and today we see this in a singular way in the development of artificial intelligence and new technologies. As I recalled in my recent Encyclical, technology in itself is not neutral because it takes on the face of those who conceive it, finance it, regulate it and use it (cf. Magnifica humanitas, 9); therefore, in the face of the transformations of our time, our discernment must focus on the place of the human person in our decisions, and on how the dignity of work, solidarity, social policy and the common good are approached today in a new way.
This discernment begins with a first affirmation: every authentically just society is built on the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person. Such dignity precedes every concession of the State and cannot be subordinated to changeable social consensus or to the whims of the majorities of the moment (cf. BENEDICT XVI, Speech to the German Bundestag, 22 September 2011). It belongs to every human being by the very fact of existence, and for this reason it must guide every positive juridical order. The Christian faith proclaims it on the basis of Revelation; human reason can recognize it as a requirement inscribed in the truth of man (cf. ibid.). When this conviction remains alive, the law becomes a protection for all and a guarantee against the imposition of particular interests and agendas.
On this basis, it is my duty today to speak a serene and firm word to those who have the grave responsibility of juridically ordering social coexistence. This coexistence can be threatened by the throwaway culture, as Pope Francis has so often warned (cf. Address to the Pontifical Academy for Life Plenary Assembly, 27 September 2021). In this sense, if life is no longer recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have? Can a community be called fully just if it leaves in the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence or those who depend entirely on the care of others? The defense of human life is not a partial question or a denominational interest: it is a goal of civilization. Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to natural death, in every circumstance of its existence. When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person. That is why the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile.
The common good is, in a certain sense, “the social form of human dignity” (cf. Magnifica humanitas, 59). It does not consist in the mere sum of particular interests, but in «the set of conditions of social life that make it possible for associations and each of their members to achieve their own perfection more fully and more easily» (Gaudium et spes, 26). When the common good ceases to be a shared horizon, public action runs the risk of fragmenting into partial interests, incapable of safeguarding what belongs to all.
In this context, the family, the primary human reality and the natural foundation of the community, is of particular importance. In the home, generations are interwoven and a living memory is passed on that gives inner continuity to society. Wherever the family is sustained, the spiritual and social stability of nations is strengthened. The family will always be the first school of humanity in which one learns, before any other place, the elementary grammar of coexistence: to receive life, to care for others, to forgive, to serve and to belong.
Educational institutions also have a decisive role to play in this task. In them, the new generations can learn to seek and love the truth, to question the meaning of life and the dignity of each person. For this reason, many parents, who want their children to learn to relate to others, to think critically and to acquire solid values, place great hopes in them as valuable allies in their education. This collaboration must always respect the «primary and inalienable right» of parents to «choose the type of education and formation their children receive, consistent with their own moral, cultural and religious convictions» (cf. Magnifica humanitas, 143; cf. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 18.4).
The affirmation of human dignity cannot remain abstract when so many people are forced to leave everything behind in search of peace, security and a future. The tragic drama of migration today also challenges the conscience of nations and the ethical foundations of the international order. Many men, women and children are forced by often dramatic circumstances to leave their communities and leave behind loved ones, histories and ties. This reality goes beyond any purely demographic or economic reading: it is an eminently moral and legal issue. Wherever a person is discriminated against because of his or her national, ethnic, religious or linguistic origin, or because of his or her economic or social condition, the universal principle of the equal dignity of all human beings is seriously violated.
The situation of migrants and refugees demands a response that looks at people, addresses the causes that force them to leave and goes beyond the mere management of flows. This gives rise to a twofold demand for social justice: to offer safe and legal channels, a respectful welcome and real possibilities for integration; and to promote, at the same time, the right to remain in one's own land, working to ensure that no one has to leave their home for lack of peace, security or decent living conditions, including economic inequalities and the effects of the climate crisis (cf. Magnifica humanitas, 81).
In recent years, increasingly dangerous routes have highlighted the high cost of this reality, so often hidden or ignored. Many people continue to fall prey to traffickers and smugglers who take advantage of their desperation. Prevention, rescue and assistance to victims must be strengthened, especially within the framework of regional and multilateral cooperation.
No nation can face a challenge of this magnitude on its own. For this reason, a coordinated, supportive and effective response is indispensable, capable of guaranteeing protection, reception and real opportunities for the integration of those who migrate. When the institutional response is close, fair and coordinated, borders cease to be places of abandonment and can become spaces for the responsible protection of human dignity.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The world is undergoing a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, manifested in multiple forms of violence, polarization and mutual distrust. In this context, peace appears as a political aspiration and, moreover, as a true moral demand. It calls for a public discourse that respects those who think differently, institutions at the service of encounter, a historical memory that seeks truth and reconciliation, and a social life capable of sustaining civic friendship and mutual respect in the midst of disagreement.
At the international level, peace requires diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility and a vision of the future based on respect for the identity of each people and the obligation of States to resolve their disputes by the peaceful means offered by international law. Every war is ultimately a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate and also of that common conscience of humanity which recognizes the bonds of justice between nations. Weapons can impose a temporary silence; but they can never build an authentic and lasting peace.
It is therefore worrying that, in various parts of the world, and also in Europe, rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international scene. True security, on the other hand, is born of justice, patient dialogue, respect for international law and a policy capable of putting the lives of peoples above the interests that profit from war. The development of new technologies and artificial intelligence in the military sphere also calls for rigorous ethical vigilance, so that decisions about life and death are never left to automatism or removed from the moral responsibility of the human person (cf. Speech at the University “La Sapienza”.”, May 14, 2026).
The international community is called upon to rediscover the indispensable value of dialogue as a patient path towards just and lasting agreements, based on respect for treaties, transparency in diplomatic action and a sincere desire to put peace before the use of force. This is the source of trust and hope.
As the motto of the European Union reminds us, In varietate concordia, True unity does not unify, but unites in diversity, making cultures, sensitivities and traditions an opportunity for mutual enrichment.
Likewise, within societies themselves, it is urgent to build a culture of reciprocity. Political plurality should not degenerate into permanent disqualification of the adversary. In a mature coexistence, even conflict can become a path to peace, when differences are mitigated by listening and are ordered to the recognition of the needs, desires and capabilities of all.
But peace is not only a political or institutional reality. It is also born in the conscience, where resentment, indifference and hatred give way to reconciliation. For this reason, it is also established and protected through language. Words can open roads or close them; they can illuminate reality or distort it to the point of making it impossible to meet. Those who exercise public responsibility have, therefore, a special obligation to guard the word in order to «disarm language».» (Message for Lent 2026), 13 February 2026). Firmness does not require contempt; disagreement does not entail humiliation.
From this respect for others is born also the duty to guard the space where their convictions, conscience and relationship with God mature. Attention to this inner sphere makes it possible to better understand a decisive issue for any truly democratic society: freedom of thought, conscience and religion, a fundamental right that protects the most intimate sphere of persons. The freedom on which the contemporary State is built, if it is authentic, recognizes the religious dimension of the human being, respects it and protects it legally, and prevents anyone from having to renounce contributing to the society in which he or she lives because of his or her faith.
Without confusing the juridical plane with the moral plane, it is also important to remember that freedom requires a full understanding of itself. To be free does not only mean to be free from coercion or to have many possibilities of choice; it means to be able to recognize the good and to adhere to it responsibly. For this reason, every effectively free society also requires a just delimitation of public power, so that the freedom of individuals, communities and associations is not unduly restricted (cf. Dignitatis humanae, 1). From this perspective, the legitimate autonomy of the temporal order should never be interpreted as hostility toward the religious phenomenon. Faith does not seek to impose itself by means of privileges or coercion, but neither can it be relegated to silence as if it were irrelevant to public life.
In this context, the sacramental seal of confession is of particular importance for the Catholic Church. It is part of the wider sphere of religious freedom, which guarantees believing communities a space of their own for life, organization and internal discipline (cf, Helsinki Final Act, 1 August 1975, Principle VII). To protect it legally, as happens in a similar way in some professions, means preserving a sacred space of inner freedom, where the believer can open his soul before God without fear of external pressures, as is also recognized by international norms (cf, Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Rule 73.3).
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Allow me to dwell for a moment on some of the images that adorn this Chamber. In this Chamber, natural light enters through the skylight that crowns the hall. That light coming from above can remind us that politics also needs to recognize a measure that precedes and surpasses it.
The paintings that evoke, in the upper part of the main wall, the reception of the Gospel and the Decalogue are also a reminder of something essential. Without confusing the political order with the religious, these signs invite us to recognize that modern freedom has also been prepared by a long education of conscience, deeply marked by the Christian tradition. In this inner school, people have learned that law must serve the good, that justice sets limits to force, that power needs legitimacy, that the poor belong fully to the community, that the stranger must be welcomed according to his dignity and that human life can never be treated as a commodity.
A law does not attain its true greatness by the mere fact of having been formally approved; it attains it when, in addition to being valid in its form, it can appear before the dignity of the person and emerge from that examination without embarrassment.
I invite you to raise your eyes, therefore, not to look away from reality, but to remember that every decision made by public authorities touches real people, especially those who have the least power to make themselves heard. Because the height of vision consists precisely in taking a deeper look at what is at stake in every public decision. For this reason, along with technical responses and legal reforms, a moral renewal is also needed.
Spain has a lot to offer on this path. It has a language that unites continents; a cultural, juridical and spiritual tradition that has been able to bring together faith and reason, law and conscience, unity and plurality. This historical experience is also a reminder of the value of harmony and of the patient effort to build a peaceful and just coexistence.
May this noble nation never lose the memory of its roots nor the audacity to look to the future. May Spain continue to be a land of encounter, culture, solidarity and hope. And may its public life always know how to unite the firmness of its convictions with the nobility of dialogue and the greatness of service.
May God grant peace to all the nations of the earth, harmony to families and serenity to consciences. And may days of prosperity, justice and lasting peace descend upon the Kingdom of Spain, marked by the apostolic footsteps of St. James and the maternal presence of the Virgin of Pilar. Thank you very much.
An uninhabited world: too much food, not enough people
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