Pope praises Catalonia for welcoming migrants during Montserrat visit

Pope Leo XIV arrived at Montserrat shortly before 12 noon on Wednesday, greeted by up to 8,000 faithful gathered at the mountain monastery.

The Pope began his visit with a ride in the Popemobile from the Mirador dels Apòstols (Apostles' Viewpoint) down to the entrance of the abbey.

Along the way, he stopped several times, blessing babies handed up from the crowd, and greeting those gathered, who welcomed him with applause and cheers.

Some also held banners with welcoming messages, and both Catalan independence flags (estelades) and Spanish flags were visible.

The Abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch, and around 800 students from Christian schools welcomed the Pope in the atrium of the basilica.

Inside the basilica, Leo XIV led the Rosary prayer at the Church of Santa Maria de Montserrat, delivering part of his address in Catalan and entrusting the mission of the Church to the Virgin of Montserrat, La Moreneta.

"I am glad to be able to be at the feet of La Moreneta to entrust her ... the mission of the Church in a world that cries out demanding justice and peace," the Pope said.

He also heard the Salve Regina and the Virolai sung by the abbey’s world-renowned boys' choir, the Escolania.

He made a call to "cultivate love" in families, among friends and even in political debate, so that "hatred gives way to hope and peace."

Pope Leo XIV addressed thousands of faithful gathered at Montserrat from a balcony of the monastery, thanking Catalonia "for welcoming so many people from other countries, as it shows how to integrate everyone into one family."

"Thank you all for being here this morning to remind everyone in Catalonia, Spain and the world that faith gives life and hope," he said.

Crowds began arriving at the site early in the morning, travelling by cable car or rack railway, as road access was restricted to authorised vehicles.

The visit has been accompanied by tight security and extensive logistical planning, with all attendees required to book in advance. In total, around 8,000 people are expected to witness the Pope’s visit.

The visit is seen as a “culmination” of the monastery’s millennium commemorations.

The Pope's ties to Montserrat

Leo XIV is the second pope to pray at Montserrat after Pope John Paul II did so in 1982.

This is the Pope's second visit to Montserrat. Years ago, during a trip to Catalonia, he prayed before La Moreneta and now returns as head of the Catholic Church.

Montserrat has long featured in Leo XIV's life. As a missionary in Trujillo, northern Peru, in the 1990s, he helped promote the construction of a church dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat, where he served as parish priest and administrator in the Monserratete neighbourhood, spending more than a decade there.

There is another symbolic link: Robert Prevost chose the name Leo XIV after Leo XIII, the pope who in 1880 declared the Virgin of Montserrat patron saint of Catalonia.