Sánchez meets Pope Leo XIV amid Spain political storm

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday, an encounter taking place amid a politically charged environment following the recent publication of the criminal investigation into former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who faces charges including money laundering, influence trafficking, membership in a criminal organization, and falsification of documents. The meeting at the Vatican comes just days before Leo XIV's scheduled visit to Spain, where he will spend more time than in any other country during his first year as pontiff, arriving with a new encyclical titled "Magnifica Humanitas" that addresses concerns about artificial intelligence and warns of technology billionaires potentially gaining unchecked global power. The timing of the meeting gained additional significance hours earlier when Spain's Council of Ministers approved legislation imposing fines of up to 35 million euros for the malicious use of digital technology, aligning with European Union AI regulations. The papal encyclical, which Leo XIV will bring to Spain, draws inspiration from Leo XIII's 1891 document "Rerum Novarum" and places humans at the center of church social doctrine, while also criticizing short-term political calculations, rising inequalities, and sterile polarizations. Pope Leo XIV, an American, departed on his first anniversary as pontiff to fulfill what his office described as a debt to Spain, since his predecessor Pope Francis never visited the country during his pontificate. Following the Vatican meeting, Sánchez is expected to hold his first press conference since the judicial ruling against Zapatero's party. Also shadowing the visit is the judicial situation involving Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, who has been summoned by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado for June 9 to be informed of the opening of trial proceedings in her case. The Pope will visit four Spanish cities, marking his first trip to the country since his election, with his encyclical serving as a guiding document for discussions on social revolutions, international conflicts, and the rights of nations.