Pope in Montserrat: Nurture love so that hatred may give way to peace
By Isabella H. de Carvalho
On Wednesday, June 10, at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat – set in the mountain range of the same name and around an hour’s drive from Barcelona – Pope Leo XIV highlighted how the Virgin Mary always points to Christ, whose love can disarm the violence that can inhabit our hearts.
“Let us ask Mary, Queen of Peace, to teach us to renounce hurtful words, hasty judgment, gossip and slander,” he said in his address pronounced in Spanish and Catalan, after the recitation of the rosary.
“May we also learn to cherish and nurture love within our families, among friends, in the workplace, on social media, in political debates and in Christian communities, so that hatred may give way to hope and peace.”
An 1000-year-old monastery
The Abbey is an important spiritual center in the region and houses the 12th-century image of Our Lady of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia. It is made up of various buildings from different historical periods, with some of the oldest parts dating back to the 12th century.
It is run by Benedictine monks and in 2025 it celebrated 1000 years since its founding.
Upon his arrival at the Abbey, Pope Leo XIV greeted the crowds gathered in the courtyard of the Basilica from the popemobile. He was then welcomed by the Bishop of the Diocese of Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Xabier Gomez Garcia, and the Abbot of the Monastery of Montserrat, Manel Gasch i Hurios, before entering the Basilica. Around 7,000 people were present in the Basilica and in the surrounding areas outside.
There, the Pope kissed the cross, asperged the faithful with holy water, spent a moment in prayer in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and heard welcome remarks by the Bishop and Abbot, before beginning the rosary.
The event was also marked by hymns sung by the Escolania, Europe’s oldest choir school, made up of boys from ages 9 to 14.
Our Lady moves us to deep conversion
In his address after the rosary, Pope Leo XIV thanked all those present for welcoming him and noted how he was pleased “to come to the feet of Our Lady of Montserrat to entrust to her,” his “Petrine ministry and the Church’s mission in a world that cries out for justice and peace.”
“The walls of this sanctuary could tell us the countless stories of devotion, gratitude and hope that have unfolded around the Mother of God of Montserrat throughout the centuries,” he said.
Pope Leo emphasized how the Virgin Mary awakens the noblest feelings of a person and “moves us to deep conversion,” such as with Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who, after spending a night in prayer at the Abbey of Montserrat, decided to lay “aside his knightly arms.”
In this regard, the Pope encouraged everyone to accept Mary’s invitation to follow Christ and his love and do what He tells us.
“These words spoken at Cana in Galilee contain a true guide for Christian living, because Mary leads us to Christ and teaches us to listen to his voice, obey his word and allow him to transform us,” he explained.
“When Mary tells us, 'Do whatever He tells you,' she is inviting us to open our reconciled hearts to the teachings of the Gospel.”
Let us lay at the Virgin’s feet the armour that hardens our hearts
The Pope insisted that “Jesus shows us the path of mercy, reconciliation, truth and gentleness,” especially in the face of the conflict that can inhabit our world and our relationships.
Jesus “exposes the violence that can lurk in our words and attitudes: criticism that humiliates, condemnation that destroys and aggression that divides. That hidden violence can often disguise itself as a kind of armour, which we use to protect our wounds, our fears and the suffering caused by injustice.”
In front of Our Lady of Montserrat, who carries Jesus “as a helpless child resting in her lap,” and invites us to love one another, “let us lay at her feet today the armour that has gradually hardened our hearts,” Pope Leo XIV highlighted.
“The baby Jesus whom Mary holds in her arms wears no armour, and it will be he himself who, later, naked on the Cross, will surrender himself completely to the Father to save us with the unarmed and disarming power of love,” he continued.
He also pointed out how Our Lady of Montserrat holds a globe in her right hand, which he explained is a sign of her maternal care for the whole world.
“She invites us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters, so that no one is excluded and that communion is stronger than every division,” he said.
“Let us lift our eyes to Mary and implore her to help us arm ourselves solely with the weapons of God.”
He concluded his address with a prayer to Our Lady of Montserrat, before spending some time in prayer before the image of the Virgin.
He also then went to the balcony on the facade of the Basilica and greeted the faithful gathered outside and imparted his blessing.
"Thank you for this beautiful expression of faith. We are all united as one family, embraced by our Mother Mary, the Virgin of Montserrat. The joy, enthusiasm, and deep sense of faith we are experiencing these days: first in Madrid, now in Barcelona and Catalonia, and soon in the Canary Islands. All of Spain is filled with faith, with love, filled with this desire to praise God, to give thanks to God, and to be united," the Pope said from the balcony.
"Thank you to Catalonia for having welcomed so many people from other countries, because it shows how to bring everyone together as one family," he continued while also thanking the monks and all who come to pray at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat.
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