Pope Leo XIV on Sunday delivered a pointed diagnosis of contemporary culture to an audience of more than 12,000 at Madrid’s Movistar Arena, arguing that modern societies have grown adept at producing and communicating, while losing sight of why they do so and for whom.
The address came on the second day of his apostolic journey to Spain, at an event gathering figures from culture, art, sport, and business under the theme “Building Networks.” It was, in tone, less a celebration than a challenge.
“Our society does indeed possess an extraordinary capacity to produce, innovate and communicate,” the Pope said. “However, it seems we still need to learn how to safeguard the soul of what it generates.” The risk, he continued, is becoming “experts in the media and effective producers, yet uncertain as to why, for what purpose, with whom and for whom we produce.”
On dialogue and language
Leo XIV framed his argument around three movements. The first concerned dialogue, which he described not as a diplomatic nicety but as a structural requirement of any society that takes human dignity seriously. Universities must not ignore the working world or renounce the truth, he said. Businesses must not treat employees as variables in a profit equation. Art must not be reserved for elites. Sport must not be reduced to spectacle. Technological progress must account for the elderly, the poor, and those without a voice.
Language itself, he argued, carries moral weight. “Communication is never neutral. Every form of expression speaks and conveys meaning; it can wound or heal, shatter expectations or open new horizons, sow division or awaken hope in the possibility of building something genuinely human together.”
On creation and memory
The second movement turned to creation and the particular legacy of Spain. The Pope invoked Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Lope de Vega, and Calderón de la Barca, as well as the Corpus Christi hymns attributed to Thomas Aquinas, as evidence of what faith produces when it engages fully with culture — not decoration, but a way of seeing. A saeta sung during Holy Week in Seville, he suggested, is as much a theological statement as a homily.
He cited Benedict XVI: “Faith is love, and therefore creates poetry and music. Faith is joy, therefore it creates beauty.” The point was an argument about what gets lost when the spiritual dimension is evacuated from public life.
On service and exclusion
The third movement was the sharpest. The Pope asked directly whether Europe would have forged its identity without the spiritual influence that shaped its history — and followed the question with another: “Why should we fear that eternity permeate everyday life?” He was not asking rhetorically. He renewed what he called the cry of his predecessors: “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ.”
But he pivoted quickly to the present. “Who are the ones being excluded despite their virtues and abilities?” he asked. “We cannot ignore the fact that the condition of the poor is a cry that, in the history of humanity, constantly challenges our lives, our societies, our political and economic systems, and the Church.” Christ, he said, “restores the common good to its rightful place as a wise arbiter who tempers the greed of some and nourishes the hope of others.”
The setting
The event itself was designed to embody the theme. Actor Antonio Banderas opened with a reflection on the Church as a patron of art and on the Holy Week processions of his native Málaga. Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marín and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales spoke about sport as a school of resilience and humility. Representatives of Spanish business and labor confederations addressed the future of work and the risks and promises of artificial intelligence. Flamenco dancer Sara Baras performed for the assembly.
The Pope closed by quoting Paul’s letter to the Romans — “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another” — and calling his audience to be builders of a renewed society where culture safeguards memory, education promotes critical truth-seeking, and work remains a source of hope rather than anxiety.
The papal journey to Spain continues through June 12.
