{"id":13149,"date":"2026-06-08T15:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13149"},"modified":"2026-06-08T15:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:02:14","slug":"popes-historic-speech-to-spains-parliament-demands-respect-for-migrants-and-gets-7-minute-ovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13149","title":{"rendered":"Pope\u2019s historic speech to Spain\u2019s parliament demands respect for migrants and gets 7-minute ovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and NICOLE WINFIELD<\/strong><\/p>\n

MADRID (AP) \u2014 Spanish lawmakers gave\u00a0Pope Leo XIV\u00a0a standing ovation on Monday after he called for respect for migrants\u2019 rights and international law in a historic address to parliament that signaled a new level of acceptance of the Catholic Church in the overwhelmingly secular country.<\/p>

Read more Two more Texas screwworm infections found in animals far apart, USDA says<\/a><\/p>\n

In the first-ever papal address to Spanish lawmakers, the American pope said a \u201cmoral renewal\u201d was necessary in legislatures and public life to ensure respect for the inherent dignity of all people, including migrants, the unborn and the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile,\u201d Leo said.<\/p>\n

Speeches by popes to foreign legislatures are rare, since they can imply recognition of a religious leader by lawmakers. Pope Francis addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress in 2015, and Pope Benedict XVI addressed his native German Bundestag in 2011.<\/p>\n

That Leo was\u00a0invited to speak\u00a0to Las Cortes Generales showed a level of acceptance for the Catholic Church in a political setting that might have been unthinkable even a few years ago. The Catholic Church was a pillar of Gen. Francisco Franco\u2019s dictatorship, enjoying broad control and influence over Spanish society, but that waned after democracy took root in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

While many Spaniards still identify as Catholic, religious observance has dropped sharply amid secularizing trends seen in other once-staunchly Christian countries.<\/p>\n

And yet lawmakers gave Leo a 7-minute standing ovation with chants of \u201cViva el Papa!\u201d \u2014 \u201cLong live the pope!\u201d<\/p>

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Leo\u2019s weeklong visit to Spain \u2014 the first since Benedict visited in 2011 \u2014 has drawn large crowds, with an estimated 1.5 million people turning out for Mass on Sunday in a downtown plaza and 600,000 young people for a prayer vigil.<\/p>\n