{"id":7109,"date":"2026-06-06T15:35:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/pope-calls-for-end-to-polarisation-during-visit-to-spain\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T15:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:35:44","slug":"pope-calls-for-end-to-polarisation-during-visit-to-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/pope-calls-for-end-to-polarisation-during-visit-to-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope calls for end to polarisation during visit to Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Huge gatherings are expected in coming days for the first papal visit to Spain since 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Pope Leo XIV has called on people to stop \u201cfanning the flames of polarisation\u201d on the first day of a visit to Spain.<\/p>\n<p>The pope, who will be in the country for a week, urged people in a speech on Saturday to turn away from the temptation to garner popularity through divisive rhetoric.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2026\/5\/27\/pope-appeals-for-gaza-aid-after-being-asked-about-flotilla-activists\">Pope appeals for Gaza aid after being asked about flotilla activists<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/26\/what-has-pope-leo-warned-about-ai-and-why-thats-significant\">What has Pope Leo warned about AI \u2013 and why that\u2019s significant<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/upfront\/2026\/5\/11\/is-the-vatican-standing-up-to-trump\">Is the Vatican standing up to Trump?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/7\/rubio-arrives-at-vatican-to-meet-pope-leo-amid-trump-attacks\">US says Pope-Rubio talks underscore \u2018strong relationship\u2019 with Vatican<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cI 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Pope Leo, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, blamed technology for this divide, saying it exaggerates prejudices and weakens critical thinking.<\/p>\n<p>His remarks come as Spain is facing controversies on issues including immigration and political corruption.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"spain-s-history-of-encounter\">\u2018Spain\u2019s history of encounter\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Pope Leo used Spain\u2019s past as an example of peaceful cohabitation between religions and cultures, adding that its history \u201csuggests that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn reality, the message of peace, which at present unfortunately strikes some as na\u00efve and others as confrontational, is welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies, but are rather open to the truth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Pope Leo\u2019s visit to Spain has been welcomed with excitement by many. Billboards, posters and subway cars have been plastered with his face. Crowds have lined the streets of central Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>The visit coincides with two concerts by Puerto Rican superstar singer Bad Bunny this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they are confronted with the question \u2018Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?\u2019 I think many will see Bad Bunny,\u201d Leo said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pope Leo has been vocal about current issues around the world, including immigration, artificial intelligence and the US-Israeli war on Iran. He has had an ongoing public disagreement with US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Huge gatherings are expected in coming days for the first papal visit to Spain since 2011. Pope Leo XIV has called on people to stop \u201cfanning the flames of polarisation\u201d on the first day of a visit to Spain. The pope, who will be in the country for a week, urged people in a speech &#8230; <a title=\"Pope calls for end to polarisation during visit to Spain\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/pope-calls-for-end-to-polarisation-during-visit-to-spain\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Pope calls for end to polarisation during visit to Spain\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}