When Pope Leo XIV lands in Spain June 6, he will be greeted by King Felipe VI in the Royal Palace — a traditional welcome for a head of state arriving in the country.

But more symbolic is the first place Pope Leo has chosen to visit, far from the splendour of Palacio Real and close to the reality of thousands of people in the Spanish capital.

A Caritas centre called CEDIA 24 Horas Social Project is part of the social ministry of the Church of Madrid for those who are homeless and that’s where Pope Leo will head right after the meeting with the royals, diplomats and Spanish authorities, sending a clear message of priorities to Spanish society and the country’s politicians.

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Located in the heart of one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Madrid, CEDIA hosts 70 people every night, with the main building equipped with 45 beds for men and 25 beds for women located in another building. The day centre is assisting 90 people daily.

María Ángeles Altozano, spokeswoman for Caritas Madrid, said the fact the Pope is coming to CEDIA “seems like a unique opportunity” for the people they work with — “so that they feel seen, so that they understand that they are very important and that there is a way for the Church of Madrid, and the Church in general, to care for them and give them the dignity they deserve.”

“Sometimes there are people who arrive very damaged and believe that their main problem is that they are not worthy of love,” Ángeles emphasized.

In front of the centre, OSV News and a small group of other media representatives met Elmer León. A miner who left Peru looking for a better life in Spain four years ago, he said he was “kicked off” from his apartment and onto the street, left with neither income nor a place to stay. It took him six months to find a job. 

“For us, and for me especially, it is a privilege as a human being and as a Peruvian,” he said of the June 6 welcoming of the Pope to their centre.

“Perhaps God brought me here from so far away for this purpose, and here me and my colleagues await him. Spain will receive him with much love and affection.”

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In 2025, 2,500 people in need were assisted in the day centre, with 840 people sleeping in the night shelter, rotating monthly. Only 15 of those sleeping in CEDIA in June will be able to meet the Pope and three of them will speak to the Holy Father, sharing their testimony. The Pope will also be handed a book with their stories, Caritas representatives said.

Ernesto Hernández, a 63-year-old Cuban, arrived in Spain in August 2025 after leaving the United States, where he had lived for years. Alone, without family or support, he soon found himself sleeping on the streets.

Other homeless people told him about CEDIA, and encouraged him to seek help there. Hernández followed their advice. Today, he is one of the 15 residents who will meet Pope Leo during the pontiff’s visit.

Speaking about the possibility of encountering the Pope, Hernández struggled to hold back tears. Asked what he would say to Leo, he paused before answering: “That he keeps helping the poor.”

He also expressed hope that the Pope would continue advocating for migrants and others living on the margins. “That he keeps caring about the poor, about immigrants who struggle in their countries,” he said.

In the Lucero neighbourhood where CEDIA is located, families often live in very small apartments trying to squeeze into spaces shared with other families, often with four families living in four-bedroom apartments. It’s often impossible to live on one family salary in the city.

In Madrid alone, 1.3 million people are living in a situation of financial vulnerability, with one in six people in Madrid living in a situation of social exclusion, “without dignity,” the Caritas spokeswoman said.

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Despite a strong regional economy and recent job creation, the capital’s soaring living costs have placed a massive burden on vulnerable households.

For Ángeles, “it’s wonderful that someone like the Pope, who represents the Church, can tell us, ‘Hey, I’m here with you, I’m with the most vulnerable people, I’m with the workers in situations that are sometimes difficult,’ and that they give us this opportunity. We’re very grateful.”