He may no longer be a figure who determines the fate of the Western world, but the figure of the Pope, the supreme authority on Earth of the Roman Catholic Church, remains a beacon for more than a billion Catholics worldwide. This week, Pope Leo XIV will mark his first anniversary in office, and he does so with a busy schedule behind him, having seized every opportunity to speak out against the problems currently afflicting humanity.
Although in his early months His Holiness stayed out of the most controversial issues, in September he began to criticise Trump's hardline immigration policies, which provoked a negative reaction from conservative American Catholics. At the same time, he gained greater popularity amongst the humbler classes throughout Latin America, where, incidentally, the Pope served for years as a missionary in Peru. As Reuters recalls in an article today, during his 10-day trip to Africa in April, the Pope warned that the whims of the world's wealthiest threaten peace, denounced violations of international law by 'neo-colonial' world powers, and said the world was 'being devastated by a handful of tyrants'.
Next June, and for the first time in Spain's history, a Pope will address the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, where he is expected to touch upon some of the other items on his agenda for the visit, including visits to migrant centres, charitable organisations, homeless people and prisoners.
The issue of immigration appears to be the crusade (if I may use the expression) of Leo XIV, and on 4 July he will visit the island of Lampedusa, one of the most contentious entry points for illegal immigration into Europe from North Africa.
Although it has not yet been confirmed by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical is expected to be published before the end of this month.