Your Majesties,
Royal Highnesses,
Distinguished Representatives of Civil Society,
Esteemed members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am grateful to the Lord for this occasion to meet with you, and express my gratitude for the invitation to undertake this Apostolic Journey to Spain. This journey will unfold in several stages, each revealing an aspect of the multifaceted richness of a great country that, for nearly two millennia, has welcomed the Gospel. Tradition has always linked the initial evangelization of the Iberian Peninsula to the preaching of the Apostle James the Greater. This connection is of considerable theological importance, for it expresses the local Church’s awareness of its continuity with the apostolic mission that began at Pentecost. While not exhausting the multifaceted identity of your people, the ancient bond between the Christian faith and this land has profoundly shaped your culture and represents a source of hope and direction amid the challenges we must face together as a human family today. I think of the expressions of popular piety that stand as an authentic dramatization of salvation in every city and town, in step with the rhythm of the year and life’s various contexts.  Along with the artistic and musical heritage, as well as the many confraternities and charitable associations, they bear witness to the fruitful encounter between Jesus Christ and your people, a passionate people who love life and express it!

I come among you to affirm, encourage and instill a renewed fidelity to the Gospel among believers, as well as a deeper reconciliation and collaboration among the various elements of this nation. After all, your own history suggests that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity. In reality, the message of peace, which at present unfortunately strikes some as naïve and others as confrontational, is welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies, but are rather open to the truth. As Pope Francis taught us, there is, in fact, “a constant tension between ideas and realities. Realities simply are, whereas ideas are worked out. There has to be continuous dialogue between the two, lest ideas become detached from realities. It is dangerous to dwell in the realm of words alone, of images and rhetoric” (Evangelii Gaudium, 231). He concluded that “realities are greater than ideas” (ibid.). The truth is always greater than we are, which is why it amazes us and draws us toward paths of purification and reconciliation, in which dialogue with others — and with the Other with a capital “O” — becomes fundamentally important.

In this respect, I would like to mention two prominent figures from this country who have enriched the life of the Church and the spiritual journey of many for five centuries, even beyond the borders of Spain. I am referring to John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila, whose passion for the divine Mystery brought them together as friends. Their mysticism is one of “open eyes,” that is, not detached from history, but rather penetrating to the root of issues and the heart of reality. In particular, upon interpreting the transformations and weathering the tensions that make our age so dark, we can find it helpful to consider the theme of night, so dear to Saint John of the Cross, whose Jubilee Year we are celebrating. Paradoxically, in his thirst for light, he learned to appreciate darkness — the “happy night” (The Dark Night of the Soul, 3) — as the time when the soul is freed from what it presumed to know and possess. Even today, what most frightens us, what in many people triggers the darkness of reason and the violence of emotions, is the unknown, before which we may feel overwhelmed by a sense of being lost without a map, as if we have lost our bearings. This is why, even in public life, we need men and women who can perceive light in the darkness: a new beginning, like the dawn of a truth that as yet blinds us, but which — if we trust and find peace — will gently lead us toward itself. “O night that guided! O night more lovely than the dawn! O night that brought together Beloved and beloved, beloved transformed in the Beloved!” (ibid., 5).

Our age, seemingly shaken by terrible imbalances and conflicts, cries out from its depths for peace, for a new understanding of the human person and its inviolable dignity, for a civilization of love (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 186).

Saint Teresa describes this same process using the image of the interior castle.  As one moves from room to room toward the innermost chamber — that is, toward one’s own heart, the sanctuary of truth — the space enlarges, the mind opens, challenges are overcome, tensions dissipate, others find their place, and the universe becomes a home. This is not an escape into the self, but a radical openness to the Totus Alius et Semper Novus achieved when we return to ourselves. This dimension of the human person is the reason why religious freedom and freedom of conscience must be protected.

Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated. This is why we need culture, interiority, and free quality education; we need transcendence. And yet, even in these dark nights, men and women who are faithful to the truth have been driven to advance from one room to another until justice and peace embrace in their conscience. It is through their freedom that we learn to be free.

The Catholic Church is at the service of the thirst of the human heart. It is a service not marked by imposition, but rather the Gospel witness attested to by a multitude of martyrs and saints. Today the Church is ready to place herself at the service of the future of a people in search of reconciliation and peace.

For the love of truth, I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarizing narratives of your societal reality and history, so as to overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity. I see here a vocation particularly suited to Europe, in which Spain plays a unique and fundamental role. This is the gift that the “Old Continent” can offer the world if it wishes to remain young, for youth is found in those who feel they have a future and a mission that still have meaning. Appreciating and studying complexity, learning not to deny it but to embrace it as a blessing, and fleeing from identity-based approaches that seem to explain everything yet only fill the world with “ghosts” and enemies are the tasks of those who are heirs of a great history. New technologies have created an artificial environment where our fundamental choices are put to the test, prejudices are magnified, critical thinking is weakened and dominating interests spread death wishes.  Nevertheless, goodness can prevail and spread.

It is essential, particularly on the part of those with economic, political and institutional responsibilities, to make a qualitative leap forward — a change of direction in investment in schools, universities and research, as well as in local communities and civil society as a nurturing ground for participation and cultural mediation. Security, which we all too often expect to find in weapons and walls, is in fact best achieved by learning to move forward alongside one another, growing together, side by side. Your own history bears witness to this. The presence of Islam on the Iberian Peninsula, for example, constituted a long-standing political, cultural, and religious reality. During that period, there was not only confrontation, but also an attempt to create a space for contact, conversation and dialogue on the meaning of truth among Christians, Muslims and Jews. At the School of Translators enhanced by Alfonso X (the Wise), experts from all three religions collaborated on translating the texts of the rich Arabic, Greek and Hebrew heritage, contributing to the dissemination of texts such as those of the philosophers Averroes (1126-1198) and Maimonides (1138-1204), among others. The cities of Córdoba and Toledo, in particular, became centers of dialogue between languages, religions and knowledge. This is the truth told by European cities: their historical stratification, the fabric of solidarity that has shaped their differences over the centuries, transforming inevitable conflicts into new beginnings.

As another noble son of this land taught us, trials and failures offer an opportunity for reevaluation. Ignatius of Loyola possessed this kind of audacity, giving credence to the desolations and consolations of his heart through an exercise of discernment and imagination that led him to prefer peace over arms and the saints to the powerful. He understood that the good to which he was drawn was not illusory, and so his crisis became instead a grace. The same can happen with the “novelties” that unsettle us today and often cause division. “We must avoid humiliating or antagonistic words, opting rather for a clarity that sheds light and a frankness that unlocks new possibilities. We cannot condone naïve enthusiasms, nor fuel unfounded fears. Instead, let us establish standards for discernment — the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home and peace — and let us translate these standards into practices such as responsible planning, the assessment of human and social impact, the inclusion of the most vulnerable, the promotion of digital literacy and guiding research and industry toward justice and peace” (Magnifica Humanitas, 14).

Your Majesties, Royal Highnesses, ladies and gentlemen, I express my gratitude to your country for its faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism, which is reflected in an active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples. At the same time, I encourage you to cultivate as well dialogue and civic friendship within your own country, to take into account the perspectives of the poor and the young when envisioning the future, to harmonize the claims for autonomy and unity, and to advance the cause of unity in Europe — not in opposition to other powers, but as a gift to the entire human family.

God bless Spain!