VATICAN CITY.- This Friday, the Pope Leo XIV received the kings of Spain in the Vatican, with whom they spoke about journey that your holiness will carry out the next June to Spainin a meeting in which they also agreed on “the importance of a constant commitment to peace“.
The kings, Felipe VI and Letizia, held a fifty-minute meeting with the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, during their visit, in which Felipe VI renewed the historical link of the Spanish monarchy with the Roman Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, of which he took possession of the position of protocanon in an act full of solemnity.
📹 The Kings, upon their arrival at the Vatican for their audience with Pope Leo XIV.
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Accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Felix Bolañosand the ambassador of Spain before the Holy See, Isabel Celáathe kings arrived at 10:15 a.m. Patio of San Damaso of Vatican City and, after the formal reception, they were taken to the Tronet Hall where the bishop of Rome greeted them.
The Pope’s trip to Spain
Already in the pontiff’s private library, the monarchs and Leo XIV chatted about the good relations between Spain and the Holy See “which will have a significant moment in the Holy Father’s next apostolic journey,” according to the Vatican.
According to sources close to the meeting, Peter’s successor told the kings that he is preparing “with great interest and enthusiasm” for his next trip to Spain, which will take place from June 6 to 12 and that he plans events by the pontiff in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
Commitment to peace
During the meetings of the kings with the holy father and with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolintopics were discussed about “the importance of a constant commitment to peace and the strengthening of the principles and values that constitute the basis of international coexistence.”
In addition, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia told Leo XIV that they have followed their first year of pontificate “with great interest.”
As is usual in these meetings, the traditional exchange of gifts took place and the kings presented Leo XIV with a facsimile of Philip II’s book of hours, from the 16th century, and an armchair blanket made by hand in merino wool and natural silk.
Pope Leo XIV, for his part, gave the kings a book about the Apostolic Palacea bronze relief of the Virgin and Child and the papal message for the World Day of Peace.
As in previous visits to the Holy See, Queen Letizia attended the meeting with the pontiff dressed in white, making use of the privilege reserved for the queens of Catholic countries, wearing a dress in that tone coordinated with beige accessories.
The link of the Crown with Santa María la Mayor
The kings meet with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican in an audience prior to their trip to Spain
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After the meetings in the Vatican, the Spanish monarchs moved to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiorein the center of Rome, where Felipe VI took possession of the position of protocanon of the temple, a historic act reserved for Spanish monarchs for centuries.
There he gave a speech in which he appealed to harmony, generosity and “dedication to the cause of the common good” in the face of selfishness and indifference.
Recalling his recent meeting with the Pope, Felipe VI stated: “We have talked about the time in which we live; about these days in which we need so much clarity; clarity of deed and word; clarity of heart and conscience.”
King Felipe VI recalled how a little more than a year ago, the day the papa Franciscohighlighted that his pontificate had been “an ethical beacon for humanity; a reference for believers and non-believers, for his closeness, wisdom, and compassion, particularly towards those most in need”, the same sensitivity that, he indicated, they have seen in Leo XIV in the audience held in Vatican City.
The kings visit the tomb of Pope Francis
Precisely, after the ceremony The kings visited the tomb of Pope Franciswho was buried there in April of last year, as well as the image of the Virgin of Health (patron saint of Rome), whom the previous pontiff used to visit before leaving and upon returning from his trips.
On their way out through the central nave, some of the guests shouted cheers to the king and, once on the street, Felipe VI and Doña Letizia stopped to greet the public, most of them Spaniards who were waiting for them outside the basilica and whom the kings thanked for their presence.
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