Pope Leo XIV’s Spain Visit Highlights Social Outreach at Madrid Homeless Center

On 6 June 2026 Pope Leo XIV arrived in Madrid, was welcomed by King Felipe VI, and visited Caritas’s CEDIA 24 Horas centre in the Lucero district. The facility offers day-time counseling, meals, showers and a night shelter with 45 male and 25 female beds.

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

CEDIA serves about 90 day-time clients and 70 nightly residents. In 2025 the Caritas network assisted 2,500 day-centre users and 840 night-shelter occupants, with 30 % gaining employment and 80 % avoiding return to the street after a month.

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

One in six Madrid residents faces social exclusion; 1.3 million are financially vulnerable. Renting a modest home typically requires seven years of documented income, limiting options for low-income families.

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

The Spanish government arranged a state welcome and a private audience with King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía. Caritas announced the Pope will receive a wooden tree carved by users of its addiction-treatment centre. The Vatican schedule lists a historic address to the Spanish Parliament on 8 June.

Euronews

Resident Elmer León, a Peruvian miner, called the visit a privilege for a human being and a Peruvian. Cuban migrant Ernesto Hernández said the Pope should keep helping the poor and noted the love he found at CEDIA.

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

Night-resident figures vary (70 versus 840 reported for 2025) and daily service counts differ (90 versus 2,500 assisted in 2025). Updated June 2026 data are not provided.

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

• “It’s a day center where men and women come to receive counseling, psychological support. They can shower, eat, but it also has a night center section, where there are places to sleep,” — María Ángeles Altozano, Caritas Madrid

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

• “For us, and for me especially, it is a privilege as a human being and as a Peruvian,” — Elmer León

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

• “What I found here was a lot of love, honestly,” — Ernesto Hernández

First stop for Pope Leo in Spain will be center that gives royal treatment to homeless

• “What a joy to see young people who are engaging with faith and want to give a sense to their life, by letting themselves by guided by Christ and his Gospel,” — Pope Leo XIV

The Independent

• “I have noticed him very excited to come, with great anticipation to arrive soon,” — Isabel Díaz Ayuso

Isabel Díaz Ayuso meets Pope Leo XIV five days before his trip to Spain: "He is very excited to come"

After Madrid, the Pope will meet Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, address the Congress, travel to Barcelona for a Mass at the Sagrada Familia, and visit the Canary Islands to meet migrants and visit a prison. The trip ends with a Mass in Tenerife on 12 June before returning to Rome.

Pope to speak on key issues during Spain visit