On Monday 8 June 2026, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium will host one of the central acts of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to Spain: the multitudinous gathering of the Holy Father with the diocesan community of Madrid. It is the second time in history that a Pope presides over an event at this stadium, following the historic visit of Saint John Paul II on 3 November 1982.
Precedent: Saint John Paul II in 1982
On 3 November 1982, during his first Apostolic Journey to Spain, Saint John Paul II celebrated a multitudinous event at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with more than 90,000 faithful. That encounter marked a milestone in the pastoral memory of Catholic Madrid and opened the tradition of the Bernabéu as a venue for major ecclesial events. Forty-four years later, Pope Leo XIV returns to the same stadium to meet the diocesan community of Madrid.
Agenda for 8 June
Official program published by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the Press Office of the Holy See.
- 09:30Audience with the Prime Minister · Apostolic Nunciature
- 10:30Address to parliamentarians · Congress of Deputies
- 12:30Meeting with the bishops · Spanish Episcopal Conference HQ
- 17:00Marian prayer · Almudena Cathedral
- 19:00Diocesan gathering with the Pope · Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Practical information
- Date
- Monday 8 June 2026
- Time
- 7:00 pm (doors open at 4:00 pm)
- Venue
- Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Avenida de Concha Espina 1, Madrid
- Capacity
- Approximately 78,000 people (covered venue)
- Registration
- Mandatory via madrid.conelpapa.es
- Access
- Free with credential · security checks at entrances
- Metro
- Santiago Bernabéu (L10)
- Broadcast
- TVE La 1, COPE, RNE and streaming at vaticannews.va