The visit of the successor of Saint Peter, Leo XIV, to Gran Canaria has been marked by conditions imposed by the Holy See, affecting the participation of the Spanish entourage and a planned solidarity gesture by President Pedro Sánchez. The head of the Spanish Executive had shown particular interest in accompanying the Pontiff to the so-called "port of hope" in Arguineguín.

This interest has led to protocol changes, such as the absence of Queen Letizia, who was initially scheduled. Sánchez avoided the airport so that Ángel Víctor Torres, the regional president, would receive the papal representative, Robert Prevost, at Gando air base.

The Holy See has responded with "silences that are refusals" to Moncloa's requests, limiting not only the presence of his large entourage of 52 people but also Sánchez's involvement in a solidarity act. The president intended to cast a floral wreath into the sea in homage to deceased migrants, sharing the gesture with the Holy Father.

The news comes amid a decline in the Catholic population in Spain, according to CIS data, which places the percentage of Catholics at 56.1%, with only 18.3% practicing.