GRAN CANARIA — Pope Leo XIV will travel to Spain in June 2026, visiting Gran Canaria, Barcelona, and Madrid as part of a multi-city apostolic journey. The trip includes celebrating Mass at the Sagrada Família in Barcelona on June 10, 2026, and inaugurating the basilica’s new tower of Jesus Christ.
On June 6, 2026, the Pope will hold a youth prayer vigil in a Madrid public square. His itinerary also includes a visit to a migrant center in the Canary Islands and a prison near Barcelona.
Catholic youth groups across Spain are preparing for the visit. The Hakuna movement, founded in the early 2010s in a Madrid parish by college students, became an official lay organization of the Spanish church in 2017 and now includes approximately 35,000 young members nationwide. Hakuna activities include weekly Eucharistic adoration, short lectures, social meetups, volunteer trips, concerts, and the release of seven Christian music records.
Church leaders point to rising adult baptisms as a sign of renewed interest. More than 13,300 baptisms of people older than 7 were recorded in the latest annual report from Spain’s Catholic bishops conference. Josetxo Vera, spokesperson for the conference, said, “They are drawing near with a look of surprise. It’s an excellent opportunity that bursts forth from heaven, not from the church.” He noted that teens are increasingly asking for baptism after encountering Christian themes in popular culture, such as Catalan pop star Rosalía’s album Lux.
Mónica Cornejo Valle, religion professor at Complutense University in Madrid, offered a more cautious perspective. She said, “We don’t think that the number of Catholic young people has grown by a lot, but we do see that in general the profile of the Catholic youth is more committed than before.” She warned that apparent religious revival may reflect a “publicity effect” driven by media rather than broad societal change.
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 47% of Spanish adults identify as Catholic, down from 80% raised in the faith. Only about 16% attend Mass weekly, despite Spain’s nearly 23,000 active parishes.