During a pastoral visit to Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, near Milan, Leo prayed at Cabrini’s tomb and led an evening prayer service, praising the missionary nun’s dedication to migrants who left their homelands in search of better lives. The visit formed part of the pope’s broader effort to engage with communities across Italy during his first year in office.

Cabrini, an Italian-born missionary who later became a naturalized American citizen, is best known for her work among Italian immigrants in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She established schools, hospitals and orphanages across several countries before her death in Chicago in 1917. She was canonized in 1946, becoming the first American saint.

Addressing the faithful, Leo said Cabrini’s example remained highly relevant in a world marked by migration, displacement and humanitarian challenges. He encouraged young people in particular to study her writings and life story as a source of inspiration for service and leadership.

The pope linked Cabrini’s mission to the priorities of his predecessor, , who consistently emphasized the protection of migrants and refugees throughout his papacy. Leo asked believers to reflect on how Cabrini and Francis would respond to the challenges facing migrants today.

The remarks reinforced a theme that has become central to Leo’s pontificate. In recent weeks, he has repeatedly highlighted the plight of migrants, including during a visit to the Canary Islands, a major arrival point for migrants traveling from West Africa to Europe.

The pope is scheduled to continue that focus on July 4 with a visit to , the Italian island that has become one of the principal entry points for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. The visit carries symbolic significance because it was the destination of Francis’ first trip outside Rome after his election in 2013.

Before arriving in Cabrini’s hometown, Leo stopped in the city of to pray at the tomb of , the fifth-century theologian whose teachings inspired the Augustinian order to which the pope belongs.

During his remarks there, Leo expressed concern over declining religious participation in Italy and urged Catholics to rediscover the spiritual depth of the Christian faith. He pointed to Augustine’s conversion, writings and reflections on interior life as enduring sources of guidance for modern believers.

The pope described himself as a “son of St. Augustine,” reaffirming the influence of the theologian’s teachings on his ministry and signaling that Augustine’s emphasis on spiritual renewal will continue to shape the direction of his papacy.

Ilan Goldfajn, president of the IDB, used the meeting to present the case that rare earth and other strategic mineral projects can generate economic benefits for Latin America if environmental protections, labor standards and governance safeguards are properly enforced.

The discussion comes against the backdrop of longstanding Vatican criticism of multinational mining operations, particularly in Latin America, where extraction projects have frequently sparked disputes over environmental degradation, Indigenous land rights and unequal distribution of economic gains.

Goldfajn acknowledged those concerns but said the region has an opportunity to avoid the mistakes that have historically accompanied resource extraction.

“It’s a unique opportunity for the region, but you need to do it in the right way with the standards, the labor conditions, with the environmental conditions and the governance,” Goldfajn said in an interview before the meeting.

The IDB currently has a pipeline of approximately $4 billion in critical mineral projects, primarily in Chile, Argentina and Brazil, with roughly three-quarters of the financing involving private-sector participation.

Demand for minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements has surged as manufacturers expand production of electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy systems and advanced defense technologies.

Latin America possesses some of the world’s largest reserves of these resources, positioning the region as a key supplier in increasingly competitive global supply chains.

Pope Leo, who spent two decades as a missionary and church leader in Peru before his election, is widely viewed as deeply familiar with both the economic promise and social consequences of mining activity.

His ministry included assignments in regions associated with major copper and gold extraction projects, exposing him directly to the concerns of local communities affected by industrial development.

Goldfajn said the pope’s experience gives him a nuanced understanding of the sector’s challenges and opportunities.

The Vatican has consistently advocated stronger protections for Indigenous populations and communities impacted by extractive industries. Earlier this year, Church officials promoted initiatives encouraging religious institutions to review investments in mining companies and increase support for communities affected by resource extraction.

The campaign followed years of criticism from the late Pope Francis, who frequently highlighted environmental damage linked to mining operations and called for affected Indigenous groups to be central participants in decisions involving their territories.

The Vatican did not release details of Friday’s private meeting between Goldfajn and Pope Leo.

Analysts say the pope’s views carry significant influence across Latin America, where Catholic institutions often play an important role in shaping local responses to major mining projects.

The debate comes as countries seek to balance economic development and growing global demand for critical minerals against environmental concerns and social opposition.

According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey, more than half of the world’s known rare earth oxide reserves are located in China, while Brazil holds the second-largest reserves globally, underscoring Latin America’s strategic importance in future mineral supply chains.

Speaking in Tenerife, one of the islands that has become a major route for irregular migration to Europe, the pope described integration as a “reciprocal journey” and called on migrants to learn local languages, respect laws, understand customs and participate in community life.

The pope also warned of what he called a “silent shipwreck” after migrants reach their destinations, saying some are left without support, social connections, work or security and become vulnerable to exploitation.

The visit marked the final day of a weeklong trip to Spain focused on migration issues. The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics called for greater assistance for migrants and stronger action against human trafficking networks.

He urged those involved in trafficking people to “stop and repent,” drawing applause from the audience.

Tenerife and other Canary Islands have become a gateway for thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe from Africa. The route across the Atlantic has been among the world’s most dangerous migration paths.

Earlier in the visit, Leo condemned indifference toward migrants and honored those who died attempting the journey by casting a wreath into the sea at the port of Arguineguin.

“Human dignity has no passport,” he said while blessing a wooden cross made from material taken from a migrant boat.

The International Organization for Migration reported that nearly 1,200 people died or went missing while traveling from Africa to the Canary Islands last year.

The pope said the deaths should prompt governments in countries of origin and transit to address the conditions that push people to flee poverty and conflict, while also confronting trafficking groups.

Leo is scheduled to travel to Rome after the visit and is expected to speak with reporters during the journey. He is also set to visit Italy’s Lampedusa island on July 4, another major arrival point for migrants entering Europe.

The hour-long meeting took place at the Vatican embassy in Madrid during the pope’s visit to Spain, according to a Vatican statement. The encounter followed a practice established by previous pontiffs of meeting abuse survivors during international trips and marked the first publicly known such meeting by Leo while abroad.

During the discussion, survivors shared their experiences and proposed measures aimed at strengthening the church’s response to abuse. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope listened attentively and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that victims’ recommendations help shape future efforts within the church.

“The pope listened with affection and attention, assured them of his closeness and that of the entire church community and pledged his commitment to ensuring that the suggestions received serve as a foundation for further efforts,” Bruni said.The meeting came as Spain’s Catholic Church continues a broader reckoning over clerical sexual abuse.

In 2023, Spain’s ombudsman published an 800-page report estimating that hundreds of thousands of people may have suffered abuse linked to the church over several decades, based on a survey of 8,000 respondents and an examination of 487 documented cases.

Spain’s bishops disputed that estimate, citing a separate church investigation that identified 728 sexual abusers within the Catholic Church since 1945.Ahead of the meeting, some survivor advocacy groups criticized the process used to select participants, arguing that many victims and organizations were excluded.

A small protest was held outside the Vatican embassy in Madrid.Juan Cuatrecasas, a spokesperson for the Robbed Childhood association, said the participating survivors did not represent all victims and accused church authorities of attempting to improve the institution’s image rather than fully addressing past failures.

Earlier on Monday, Leo addressed Spain’s bishops and called for stronger efforts to support survivors through listening, truth, justice and reparations. He said the church community must demonstrate a more determined commitment to prevention and safeguarding.“Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing,” the pope told church leaders.

Spain this year launched a reparations framework for victims of clerical abuse whose cases are too old to be prosecuted. The mechanism, developed with the involvement of both the Spanish government and the Catholic Church, allows survivors to seek compensation and support, with authorities retaining a significant role in determining payouts.

Leo has previously emphasized the importance of listening to victims while also maintaining that the rights of accused clergy must be protected. Before becoming pope, the former Robert Prevost served as bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, where he handled abuse-related complaints on behalf of the Peruvian bishops’ conference and was involved in efforts to address allegations linked to the influential Catholic group Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.

Separately, Leo defended the Catholic Church’s position on the confidentiality of confession, amid growing debate in several countries over whether priests should be required to report abuse disclosed during sacramental confession.

Addressing Spain’s parliament, the pope described confessional secrecy as a matter of religious freedom, arguing that legal protections for confidential conversations between priests and penitents preserve an essential space for believers to speak freely without fear of external interference.

In one of the most significant political speeches of his papacy, Leo called on governments to pursue peace, address the root causes of migration and exercise greater ethical oversight of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.”The world is undergoing a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, which is manifested in multiple forms of violence, polarization, and mutual distrust,” the pope told lawmakers in Madrid.

Speaking hours after renewed exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran, he said military force could not provide lasting solutions to global conflicts.”Weapons can impose a temporary silence, but they can never build an authentic and lasting peace,” he said.The address, delivered in Spanish and met with a prolonged standing ovation, marked the first speech by a pope before Spain’s national parliament and formed a centerpiece of Leo’s week-long visit to the country.

The pontiff devoted significant attention to migration, describing the treatment of migrants as a test of the international community’s moral principles. He argued that governments should move beyond simply managing migration flows and instead address the underlying causes driving displacement, including war, poverty and climate change.

“The moral greatness of a nation is manifested above all in its capacity to accompany, protect, and love those lives that pass through the greatest fragility,” Leo said.His remarks come as Spain continues to confront migration pressures along routes linking West Africa to the Canary Islands.

According to rights group Caminando Fronteras, more than 3,000 migrants died attempting the crossing in 2025.Leo also criticized the acceleration of defense spending across Europe, describing the trend as troubling at a time when diplomatic efforts should be prioritized.

European military expenditures rose sharply over the past year amid security concerns and pressure from the United States for NATO members to increase defense budgets.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has resisted calls for NATO countries to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product, although Spain’s military budget has increased substantially during his tenure.The pope further urged governments to establish rigorous ethical safeguards governing the use of artificial intelligence, particularly in military applications.

Last month, he issued a broader appeal for international oversight of advanced AI systems.Addressing relations between religion and the state, Leo defended religious freedom and argued that faith should remain part of public discourse.

He also reaffirmed the confidentiality of the Catholic seal of confession, which prohibits priests from disclosing information shared during confession.Several European countries have debated whether clergy should be legally required to report allegations of abuse disclosed during confessions following a series of sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church.

Leo said preserving the confidentiality of confession protected a sacred space of individual conscience and spiritual freedom.Although the Vatican has announced that the pope will meet victims of clerical abuse during his visit to Spain, Leo did not address the issue directly in his parliamentary speech.

The visit reflects the pope’s increasingly active engagement with global political debates, including war, migration, technology and the role of democratic institutions in addressing mounting international challenges.

The visit includes stops in Madrid, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Montserrat Monastery, and the Canary Islands.

The pope is expected to highlight the plight of migrants, meet asylum seekers in Tenerife, and call for dialogue amid growing political and social divisions worldwide. Vatican officials said he is also likely to speak against ongoing wars and rising polarization.

During the trip, Pope Leo will become the first pope to address the Spanish parliament. He is also scheduled to meet King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and visit charitable organizations supporting vulnerable communities.

The visits will take the pontiff to two major gateways for African migrants seeking entry into Europe. Although migrant arrivals have fallen this year, particularly in the Canary Islands, immigration and integration remain contentious issues across Europe’s traditionally Catholic societies.

Church leaders and migrant advocates hope the trips will shift attention toward humanitarian concerns and the challenges faced by migrants rather than political disputes.

The pope is expected to meet migrants and pay tribute to those who died attempting dangerous sea crossings. His visit follows the migration-focused legacy of Pope Francis, who made Lampedusa the destination of his first pastoral trip outside Rome in 2013.

Catholic organizations in Spain and Italy continue to provide assistance to migrants arriving through Atlantic and Mediterranean routes, while debates over migration policy increasingly divide political parties and public opinion.

The visits come as European governments balance border control measures with growing calls from religious and humanitarian groups for a more compassionate approach toward migrants and asylum seekers.

The document, titled Magnifica Humanitas, is the first encyclical of the American-born pontiff and outlines a comprehensive ethical framework for the governance of artificial intelligence. Leo argued that governments, technology companies and society must ensure that AI serves humanity rather than concentrated political, military or commercial interests.

The publication had been closely anticipated since the pope declared shortly after his election that artificial intelligence represented the most significant challenge facing humanity. In the text, he warned against what he described as a “culture of power” driving the global race to develop increasingly sophisticated AI systems.

Leo directed particular criticism at the use of AI in warfare, declaring that irreversible decisions involving the use of lethal force should never be delegated to autonomous systems. He argued that accountability for military actions must remain firmly in human hands and called for greater transparency in the development and deployment of AI-enabled weapons.

The encyclical also questioned whether traditional Catholic principles governing the ethical use of force remain adequate in an era of rapidly advancing military technologies.

Leo suggested that technological transformations in warfare require renewed moral reflection and updated international safeguards.Beyond security concerns, the pope warned about the concentration of data, wealth and influence among a small number of technology companies.

He argued that ethical commitments by private firms alone were insufficient and called for robust legal frameworks, independent oversight mechanisms and stronger democratic regulation.The Vatican formally presented the document at an event that included participation from representatives of anthropic, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies.

The company’s involvement reflected the Vatican’s long-running engagement with Silicon Valley on the social and ethical implications of emerging technologies.Despite hosting technology executives, Leo repeatedly emphasized that public authorities must not abdicate responsibility for regulating AI.

He urged developers and policymakers to slow the pace of deployment when necessary and to prioritize the common good over commercial gain.The pope framed the AI revolution within the broader tradition of Catholic social teaching. He linked the challenges posed by artificial intelligence to those addressed in Rerum Novarum, the historic 1891 encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII that examined workers’ rights and the social consequences of industrialization.

Signed on the 135th anniversary of that document, Magnifica Humanitas argues that AI raises comparable questions about labor, economic power and human dignity. Leo warned that the pursuit of efficiency and profit must not come at the expense of workers whose livelihoods could be displaced by automation.

Technology experts and scholars said the encyclical is likely to become an influential reference point in debates surrounding artificial intelligence governance. Taylor Black said the rapid evolution of AI was already prompting deeper questions about the meaning of human identity, while Paolo Carozza described the document as a potentially defining contribution to discussions about the relationship between technology and society.

The manifesto also contained a historic acknowledgment of the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing slavery during earlier centuries of European expansion. Leo issued the first papal apology specifically addressing the Holy See’s involvement in granting rulers authority to subjugate and enslave non-Christians, extending the document’s focus beyond technology to broader questions of historical responsibility and human dignity.

The encyclical marks the most comprehensive intervention by the Vatican to date on artificial intelligence and places the Catholic Church at the center of a growing global debate over how emerging technologies should be governed as they reshape economies, societies and international security.

The first U.S.-born pontiff traveled to Acerra, near Naples, where he urged people to reject “temptations of power and enrichment” linked to activities that damage the environment and communities. The visit came as the Vatican prepares to publish Leo’s first encyclical on Monday, a major teaching document expected to address artificial intelligence, warfare and workers’ rights.

Speaking before residents affected by decades of pollution, Leo said he had come to the region to “gather the tears” of families who had lost loved ones to illnesses linked to toxic waste contamination. He criticized what he described as the failure to curb environmental abuses and said those responsible had been allowed to act without accountability for too long.

Crowds gathered in Acerra’s main square to welcome the pope, waving Vatican flags and displaying photographs of relatives who had died. During his four-hour visit, Leo met with victims and reiterated concerns about what he called the “dizzying profits” earned by a small number of actors at the expense of public health, employment and future generations.

The area around Naples, commonly known as the “Land of Fires,” has for decades been associated with illegal dumping and burning of industrial waste. Waste management operations in parts of southern Italy were historically linked to private contractors, some of whom were alleged to have connections with the Camorra, the Naples-based organized crime network.

In January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italian authorities had failed for years to adequately protect residents from the consequences of illegal waste disposal in the region, citing shortcomings dating back at least to 1988.

The court ordered Italy to develop a comprehensive database of contaminated sites and improve public communication about health and environmental risks.
Following the ruling, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appointed a senior military official in February 2025 to lead a task force focused on environmental remediation efforts and assistance for affected communities.

Leo has increasingly adopted a more direct tone on social and environmental issues in recent months. His latest intervention places environmental protection and corporate accountability at the center of his public agenda ahead of the release of his first major papal document.

Rubio, a Catholic and the highest-ranking U.S. official to meet the first American pope since his election in May 2025, held a private audience with Leo at the Vatican before separate discussions with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said after the talks.According to the State Department, discussions focused on the Middle East conflict, the Iran war and issues concerning Latin America, referred to by Washington as the Western Hemisphere.

A U.S. official also confirmed that the Catholic Church’s role in Cuba was raised during the meetings.The Holy See has historically maintained diplomatic engagement with Cuba, while Rubio, a Cuban-American, has been closely associated with U.S. efforts aimed at political change in the communist-run island nation.

Rubio also discussed religious freedom and broader geopolitical issues with Parolin, Pigott said.

The visit followed an unusually public rift between Trump and Pope Leo, who has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East and criticized threats of military escalation against Iran.Trump recently accused the pope of being “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” and alleged this week that Leo’s positions risked “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.”

Leo rejected the criticism during remarks to reporters on Tuesday, saying the Catholic Church’s role was to “preach peace” and reiterating the Vatican’s longstanding opposition to nuclear weapons.“If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully,” the pope said.

Cardinal Parolin earlier suggested the meeting would involve candid exchanges, noting that Washington had requested the talks. “The pope is being the pope,” Parolin said on Wednesday when asked about Trump’s criticism.Despite the tensions, Vatican protocol signaled a warm reception for Rubio. His convoy entered through the Arch of Bells, an honor generally reserved for heads of state, and he was formally welcomed by the Swiss Guard.

Rubio told reporters before departing for Rome that the trip had been arranged prior to the recent dispute and described the Vatican as an important diplomatic partner. “There’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican,” he said.

The Trump administration had initially welcomed Leo’s election as the first U.S.-born pope, but relations have since deteriorated over disagreements on immigration, Middle East policy and nuclear rhetoric involving Iran.