Pope Leo XIV brought his Apostolic Journey to Spain to a close on Friday with a few words at the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife at the end of the final Mass. In his short address he thanked the Spanish people for their welcome and left them with a final invitation to "Lift up [their] gaze."

Speaking after the concluding Eucharistic celebration, the Pope reflected on the six-day journey, which took him to Madrid, Barcelona, Montserrat and the Canary Islands.

"I return to Rome deeply moved by the great affection I have received," he said, expressing gratitude to all those who helped organize the visit and to the faithful who participated in the various events.

The Pope also praised what he described as Spain's enduring Catholic identity, saying he had been comforted by the many "testimonies of faith and love for the Church" he encountered throughout the country.

Speaking in the port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, whose name means "Holy Cross," Pope Leo turned his thoughts "to the whole world and its wounds, which cause entire populations to suffer," he said.

The Pope then turned to the journey's motto: "Lift up your gaze."

"Let us turn our eyes to Christ Crucified," he urged, describing the Heart of Christ as "the source of mercy, which alone can save humanity."

The Pope went on to say that humanity is in need of "forgiveness and reconciliation" in order to achieve "true and lasting peace", before entrusting those who suffer to the care of the Virgin Mary.

"Let us lift up our eyes, as did Mary, the Mother of all who suffer," he said added. 

Bringing his address to a close, the Pope thanked the people of Spain once more and invited them to remain united in faith.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he said. "Let us remain united in prayer and in communion in Christ and in the Holy Church."

Pope Leo returns to Vatican on aircraft provided by Spanish King

“Pope Leo XIV will return to Rome aboard an aircraft graciously made available by His Majesty the King of Spain. The flight is scheduled to depart at around 6:00pm local time and is expected to arrive in Rome at approximately 11:00pm Rome time.

The Holy See staff and the journalists travelling on the papal flight will return in the coming hours on a separate aircraft provided by IBERIA.”

The statement published by the Holy See Press Office on Telegram came in the wake of a technical problem that prevented the IBERIA plane set to fly the Pope back to Rome from departing.

The plane took off just after 6.00pm local time.

That was how, in an unprecedented development, Pope Leo XIV’s fourth international apostolic journey came to an at Tenerife North Airport (Los Rodeos), concluding the weeklong visit that took him to Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

The departure was delayed for a considerable time due to a technical problem with the engine of the Iberia Airbus A320. The aircraft began its takeoff procedures at around 4:15 p.m. local time.

Shortly afterwards, however, the boarding stairs were brought back to the aircraft and the Pope was escorted to the airport’s VIP lounge by King Felipe VI, who had bid him farewell only moments earlier. They were soon followed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, along with the other cardinals and bishops accompanying the papal delegation, who also disembarked.

The Farewell Ceremony had taken place as per schedule. Having arrived at the airport at around 3:45pm local time, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by King Felipe VI of Spain, several local authorities, and representatives of the local Church. Following the playing of the national anthems and the honors paid to the flags, the Pope and the King reviewed the Guard of Honor and then greeted their respective delegations.