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Pope Leo Concludes Spain Apostolic Visit, U.S. Consecrated to the Sacred Heart

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Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Friday, June 12th, 2026, The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Wrapping up this busy week for the Catholic Church, let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his historic apostolic journey to Spain today, and he did it in a setting that perfectly captured his message all week. Celebrating Mass at Tenerife's Maine Commercial Port on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the Pope urged Christians to reject the pursuit of profit and embrace radical hospitality toward migrants. The greatest grace is to allow ourselves to be evangelized by those we assist, he told the crowd. Earlier, the Pope greeted cheering locals from the balcony of the bishop's residence, praising Tenerife's residents for welcoming people from across the globe and reminding them that all humanity belongs to one single family. Citing his apostolic exhortation, Delexite, Pope Leo called the resilience of the vulnerable the wealth of the poor. He closed with a prayer that Tenerife remain a place of encounter with Christ through fraternal hospitality. Whoever immerses themselves in the sacred heart no longer lives for themselves, he said. Open this sea of love to everyone. In some of the most forceful language of his entire trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV today issued a direct and searing rebuke to human traffickers, demanding they stop and repent or face divine justice. Speaking on the island of Tenerife, a major arrival point for migrants crossing from the African coast, the Pope warned those who organize what he called death routes that they will answer to God for their crimes. Earlier in the day, the Pope visited the Las Raices Temporary Reception Center, which has housed more than 54,000 migrants since 2021. He met with residents, including a 16-year-old from Gambia, and listened to harrowing testimonies of dangerous Atlantic Sea crossings. Addressing Catholic volunteers and integration organizations, Pope Leo emphasized that welcoming migrants is an act of Christian charity, not merely a social program. He called integration a reciprocal journey and urged societies to treat migrants as people created in the image of God, rather than legal problems to be managed. In a historic first for the American Catholic Church, the nation's bishops yesterday formally consecrated the United States to the sacred heart of Jesus. After concluding their public plenary sessions in Orlando, the bishops traveled to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, where they celebrated a mass of consecration marking the country's 250th anniversary. The relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French Visitation Sister, whose visions of the Sacred Heart are central to the devotion, were present at the Mass, on loan from the Knights of Columbus. The session that preceded the Mass was itself eventful. Bishops approved updates to the updated lectionary for Mass and the Roman Missal Supplement, passed revisions to the landmark Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, and received updates on preparations for the 500th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe's appearance to St. Juan Diego. The homily at yesterday's historic consecration mass cut to the heart of what the moment meant, and Archbishop William Lorie of Baltimore delivered it with both theological clarity and pastoral warmth. Speaking at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Archbishop Lorrie described the Sacred Heart of Jesus not as an abstract devotion, but as a visible sign of love, one capable of reconciling divisions and transforming hardened hearts. He framed the act of consecration as simultaneously an act of faith, an acknowledgement of the nation's need for God's mercy and wisdom, and an act of hope. To consecrate ourselves to the sacred heart is ultimately to accept Christ's invitation to remain in his love, the Archbishop said, and to allow that love to shape every aspect of our lives, public and private. He concluded with a vision of national renewal rooted not in political movements or economic forces, but in discipleship, bearing the good fruit of holiness in families, parishes, communities, and daily lives. As the U.S. bishops celebrated their historic mass yesterday in Orlando, President Trump issued a statement joining his prayers with theirs and calling the moment a powerful milestone in the nation's story. A powerful moment in our national story and a poignant reminder that America has always been guided by the loving hand of God, Trump said. He described America as a land of prayer, a place of miracles, and home to some of the most faithful and devoted Christians to ever live. The president specifically acknowledged the role of Catholics in the nation's founding, citing Bishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and his cousin Charles Carroll, one of the founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence. Trump also invoked the legacy of President Ronald Reagan and St. John Paul II in their shared effort to resist communism in Eastern Europe. He closed with a prayer that America will continue for the next 250 years to be a land of faith, a country of miracles, and a light and glory to all nations. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News. Check out the show notes for direct links to the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.

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