The Santiago Bernabéu will play a central role in Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit to Spain after the Holy See confirmed that Real Madrid’s stadium will host a meeting between the Pope and the diocesan community of Madrid on Monday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m.
The gathering forms part of the official Apostolic Journey that Pope Leo XIV will undertake across Spain between June 6 and June 12. Madrid will serve as the first major stop of the trip before the Pontiff continues on to Barcelona and the Canary Islands
later in the week.
According to the official schedule released by the Vatican, the Pope will arrive in Madrid on June 6 at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, where he will be welcomed by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Over the course of the six-day visit, Pope Leo XIV is expected to travel nearly 2,500 kilometers, visit five dioceses, and participate in 21 official events.
The Bernabéu event will take place during a packed day in the Spanish capital. Earlier on June 8, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Apostolic Nunciature before heading to the Congress of Deputies. In a historic first for Spain, the Pope will address a joint session of both Congress and Senate members. He will later visit the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference before praying before the Virgin of Almudena at Madrid’s cathedral ahead of his arrival at the Bernabéu.
The occasion will mark the second papal event ever held at Real Madrid’s iconic stadium. The first came on November 3, 1982, when Pope John Paul II visited the Bernabéu for a Celebration of the Word attended by thousands of young people from around the world.
More than four decades later, the stadium is once again preparing to host a major global religious event, further reinforcing the Bernabéu’s status as one of the most symbolic venues in Spain beyond football itself.
After concluding his stay in Madrid on June 9, Pope Leo XIV will continue his journey with visits to Barcelona, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife before returning to Rome on June 12.
