The Pope in Barcelona warned of the epidemic of depression and femicide: ‘Violence often ends in murder’

“So much of the news, even today, has witnessed an unhealthy climate in family relationships, characterized by abuse and oppression, and especially violence against women, which unfortunately often leads to femicide”, said Leo XIV, calling on societies to “deal with this dramatic reality”.

In the end, the Pope called on young people to “learn to pause, to appreciate what is important” in order to “also develop a critical spirit towards a social system that does not place the individual at its center and creates situations of injustice and existential poverty”.

Barcelona, ​​the second stop of the visit

Pope Leo XIV. he arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday for the second stop of a week-long tour of Spain, during which he warned that escalating conflicts had plunged the world into a deep crisis.

The pope, who has recently adopted a stronger tone against ⁠global leadership, also told the Spanish parliament on Monday that the “moral greatness” of any country depends on how it treats migrants and other vulnerable groups.

As in Madrid, Leo was greeted by crowds when he arrived at Barcelona’s 14th-century cathedral to lead midday prayers, where he spoke a few words in Catalan before continuing his sermon in Spanish.

In his farewell speech before leaving Madrid, the first American pope called on Catholics in that city to be selfless and help the needy. “In a world that is constantly influenced by self-interest and ⁠profit, itžis important to ​think and žlive according to a more authentic mentality,” he said.

Lav also met with the leader of the northeastern region of Catalonia.

The centerpiece of his visit to Barcelona will be on Wednesday, when the Pope will visit an abbey in nearby Montserrat and open the newest tower of the Sagrada Familia, a modernist basilica that has become the tallest church in the world.

A visit to the basilica also celebrates the legacy of Antonio Gaudi, whose designs were ridiculed during his lifetime but are now praised. The architect, who died on June 10, 1926, is on his way to becoming a Catholic saint.

The Pope’s visit to Spain will culminate on Friday in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago in West Africa, where he will meet with about a thousand migrants who have crossed the dangerous waters of the Atlantic in small boats to reach Europe.

In his speech to parliament on Monday, the pope said the world’s lack of aid for migrants calls into question “the ethical foundations of the international order.”