Last year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lamented that his country could not stop the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip because, as he explained, “Spain doesn’t have nuclear bombs.” In March, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, which it had threatened to use against Israel, Spain denied the U.S. access to its bases and airspace. Spain has arguably become the most vocal anti-American and anti-Israel country in Europe.

That could be why Pope Leo xiv, also a vocal critic of Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump, is currently on a weeklong tour in Spain.

The Pope’s Message for Spain

Speaking on Saturday at the Royal Palace of Madrid, Leo thanked Spain for its “faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism.” This message of peace “at present unfortunately strikes some as naive and others as confrontational” but should be “welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies.”

By implication, the U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran because of “preconceived ideologies.”

The Vatican and Spain appear to agree that Israel and the U.S. should be handcuffed, waiting for Iranian nuclear-armed missiles to destroy their cities.

Unsurprisingly, the pope’s message is extremely popular. On Sunday, he was greeted by over 1.2 million people. Not even the most famous soccer teams draw crowds this large. Real Madrid’s last Champions League win in 2024 only drew half that number.

In a historic first, Leo addressed members of Spain’s parliament at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on Monday. He used the opportunity to issue another rallying cry against the U.S. and Israel. He said:

Every war ultimately constitutes a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate. True security, however, stems from justice, patient dialogue, respect for international law and a policy capable of placing the lives of peoples above the interests that profit from war.

Yet many people have been brutally killed because no one was willing to wage war for their freedom. Iran killed tens of thousands of its own people earlier this year, and no one came to their aid. In World War ii, Germany killed 6 million Jews before it was stopped by military might.

International law did not prevent Iran-backed Hamas terrorists from raping, torturing and murdering Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in our April issue: “Weakness in a world full of beasts will get you killed!”

Ignoring Past Bloodshed

“May God grant peace to all nations of the Earth, harmony to families and serenity to consciences,” Leo said. He views Spain as having much to offer in this area. It “possesses a language that bridges continents; a cultural, legal and spiritual tradition that has successfully fostered a dialogue between faith and reason, law and conscience, unity and plurality. … May this noble nation never lose sight of its roots nor the courage to look to the future.”

What are Spain’s spiritual roots? How has it bridged continents?

The answer to those questions shows the pope’s hypocrisy.

The Catholic Church has attempted to convert Europe for centuries—but its greatest success came only when it united its efforts with brutal dictators such as Charlemagne, Otto the Great and Charles v.

Charles v was crowned in 1520. He advanced the Inquisition (the brutal torture and forced conversion of Jews and Muslims) to suppress the Protestant Reformation.

How many have been burned as heretics or killed by the sword by the state on behalf of the Catholic Church? In his 1871 book, The History of Romanism, John Dowling wrote: “From the birth of popery … it is estimated by careful and credible historians that more than 50 millions of the human family have been slaughtered for the crime of heresy by popish persecutors ….” Halley’s Bible Handbook corroborates this figure: “Historians estimate that, in the Middle Ages and Early Reformation era, more than 50 million martyrs perished” (emphasis added).

Estimates on how many people died in World War ii differ by a couple of million, so it’s no surprise that we have a hard time reconstructing today how many died at the hands of “popish persecutors.”

But one thing is sure, Spain’s conversion wasn’t peaceful. In our May-June Trumpet, Mr. Flurry wrote:

These centuries of the Middle Ages also saw the barbaric slaughter of pagans in an attempt to “Christianize”—or rather, Catholicize—Europe. It was also the time of the Crusades, which also brought the slaughter of Jews. Later on, the Catholic Church’s efforts to suppress the Protestant Reformation culminated in the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) that again devastated Europe’s population.

That is why many Protestants call it the Dark Ages. Many of them were killed, along with God’s true saints. In several places in Europe, especially Spain, there are hardly any Protestants because most all of them were killed!

Spain today is what it is largely because of this history! Until 15 years ago, Spain was 70 percent Catholic. This was the result of forced conversions. The leader of this church today should know this.

Charles v cemented Spain’s spiritual roots at home, and with the same fervor took it across continents. Our book The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy explains:

During Charles’s reign, vast territories in Latin America were converted to Catholicism. This began before Charles ascended to the Spanish throne. Spanish and Portuguese explorers, encouraged by the Vatican, claimed new territory for their home nations. In 1493, Pope Alexander vi gave much of the new land to Spain and, in exchange, asked Spain to convert the natives to Catholicism. Encyclopedia Britannica records that Spanish and Portuguese rulers “recognized the obligation to convert the indigenous population as part of their royal duty.” Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and Jesuits traveled with the European ships. Much of the conversion of the natives took place under the reign of Charles v and his son Philip ii.

Let’s not kid ourselves, the conversion and conquest of Latin America wasn’t without bloodshed. Clearly, Pope Leo has a double standard when portraying the U.S. and Israel as warmongers and praising Spain as a “noble nation.”

By calling on Spain to “never lose sight of its roots” while criticizing the U.S. and Israel, the pope is elevating the history of the Holy Roman Empire over the present world order. He is doing his part in “Reviving the Dark Ages.” This article by Mr. Flurry describes the Catholic Church’s attack on Israel as a sign that the Vatican is bringing our world back to the days of the bloody Holy Roman Empire and shows what it means for any Christian who disagrees with the Vatican.