Pope Leo has urged political leaders to seek unity, rather than divide their populations for political gain, and said they must fight for peace, in the opening speech of his tour in Spain.

The pope has made the marginalised a focus of his visit – his first tour of an EU country, apart from Italy – including meeting homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands. The pope, who has clashed with the US president, Donald Trump, over his immigration policies and war with Iran, said his visit was aimed at setting an example of respecting “every human being”.

He was also due to meet survivors of sexual abuse by clergy in the Spanish Catholic church – an institution that is only now confronting its history of papered-over abuse. Leo said he would meet a few survivors, admitting that “abuses are still an open wound”.

Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Madrid to greet the pontiff, who toured the city in the popemobile. It is the first time a pope has visited Spain since 2011. There has been a resurgence over recent years in Spain in the number of those who identify as Catholics, with 28.8% of young people identifying as such in 2025, compared with 17.6% in 2010.

The pope is scheduled to give 20 speeches during his tour, with themes emphasising empathy for migrants, anti-demagoguery, and acknowledging what Leo said was a world crying “from its depths for peace”.

“Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarisation seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated,” he said in a speech attended by King Felipe VI at the royal palace in Madrid. “I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarising narratives of your societal reality and history so as to overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity.”