The King says that the “pain caused by cases of abuse” must be repaired with “clarity and firmness”

In a gesture agreed with the Vatican, the King referred in his welcome speech to Leo XIV in the Hall of Columns of the Royal Palace to the most thorny issue of the visit: the denunciations of pedophilia against members of the clergy, which the Pontiff has not addressed in his first public intervention in Spain.

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After highlighting the “enormous social work of the Catholic Church in Spain” and expressing his recognition and gratitude to the religious, priests, deacons, and volunteers who help in residences, shelters, soup kitchens, and reception centers, as well as to the missionaries who carry out their work in remote places, Felipe VI added in a serious tone: “There can be no greater contrast to all this than the pain caused by cases of abuse, which neither are nor can be representative of the immense ecclesial community. Your clarity and firmness, which I also want to acknowledge, are essential in the healing process and reparation of the inflicted harm: they are for the victims, for the faithful, for the Church, and for society as a whole.”

It has been an extremely delicate and careful paragraph, but sufficient to bring to light the more than 3,000 cases of pedophilia within the Catholic Church, according to the database of the investigation opened by EL PAÍS, and the accusations of cover-up against high-ranking members of the clergy. In a program measured down to the last millimeter, the Pope’s meeting with victims of pedophile priests is one of the last unknowns to be cleared up, as it is not known when or where it will take place, although the Vatican has finally confirmed that it will be held.

The King expressed his satisfaction that the Pope, who has carried out much of his pastoral work in Peru, speaks and understands Spanish, and therefore, in the shared language, welcomed him on behalf of a people “vital and with character, supportive and tolerant, also creative and cosmopolitan, like the Spanish.” “Thank you for the generosity and sensitivity you show with the extent and intensity of this visit,” he told him, referring to the seven days his stay will last in Madrid, Barcelona and, for the first time for a head of the Catholic Church, the Canary Islands.

Like Leo XIV, Felipe VI cited Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Ávila and also the Pontiff’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which he described as a “humanist text,” addressing the emergence of artificial intelligence not with “a catastrophic vision, but a gaze full of hope and optimism in the human being.”

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“Your words urge us to replace fear, which is sterile and paralyzing, with a committed, thoughtful, and shared understanding of the potential and risks of this new reality,” said the King, who added that “this new technology cannot be the monopoly of a few, but an instrument in the hands of all that benefits all societies.” And he warned: “That will only be possible if we manage to keep the person at the center of any discourse, never replaced, subjugated, or coerced by any algorithm.”

The King warned that, in a time when it seems that “anything goes, everything is admissible, negotiable and justifiable, it should not be forgotten that the dignity of the person, human rights, democratic values and international legality must remain our prime numbers, because in them lies the arithmetic of freedom, equality and justice,” a message very similar to that expressed by the Pontiff.

Furthermore, he praised his guest’s “solid scientific” and mathematical background and, like the new Pope, quoted his predecessor, Francis, to emphasize the importance of “knowing how to listen,” a capacity that, paradoxically, he stressed, is being lost “in a time of interconnections.” He also recalled Leo XIV’s words when he was elected and asked for help to build bridges of dialogue. “Unity as an aspiration arises from the awareness of our fragility as individuals […] Always remember this, in word and deed, and especially in these times of uncertainty, it well deserves to be a universal guideline for conduct: unity as a vehicle and instrument of peace,” he concluded.

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