标签： Europe

In a groundbreaking moment for Vatican-Spanish relations, Pope Leo XIV delivered the first-ever papal address to Spain’s Cortes Generales on Monday, using the historic platform to urge global respect for migrant rights, international law, and ethical governance, while marking an unexpected shift in the secular country’s acceptance of the Catholic Church in public life.

Addressing assembled lawmakers from across Spain’s deeply polarized political spectrum, the American pontiff framed the core argument of his speech around a universal call for “moral renewal” in public institutions, arguing that a nation’s true moral standing is measured not by its power or wealth, but by how it protects its most vulnerable community members. “The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile,” Leo told the chamber. This group, he emphasized, includes migrants, unborn people, and all marginalized populations.

Papal addresses to foreign national legislatures are extremely rare, as the invitation itself signifies formal recognition of a religious leader by a sovereign state’s elected body. Prior precedent includes Pope Francis’ 2015 address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, and Pope Benedict XVI’s 2011 speech to his native Germany’s Bundestag. For Spain, a nation where the Catholic Church was once a foundational pillar of Francisco Franco’s 20th-century dictatorship, but saw its influence wane dramatically after the transition to democracy in the 1970s, the invitation itself marks a milestone that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Today, despite the fact that a majority of Spaniards still identify as Catholic, religious participation has plummeted amid widespread secularization, mirroring trends across other historically Christian European nations. Yet the address drew a rare show of cross-partisan enthusiasm: at the conclusion of Leo’s remarks, lawmakers from every ideological bloc rose to a minutes-long standing ovation, chanting “Viva el Papa!” (Long live the pope!).

Leo delivered his address against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions between Israel and Iran, as retaliatory airstrikes between the two nations raised fears of a full-scale regional war in the Middle East. Reiterating his longstanding call for diplomatic conflict resolution, the pontiff emphasized that peace can only be built through dialogue, not force. “Peace demands diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility and a vision for the future grounded in respect for the identity of every people and in the obligation of states to resolve their disputes through the peaceful means offered by international law,” he said.

He also voiced deep concern over the growing trend of rearmament across Europe, driven by the ongoing threat of Russian aggression following the invasion of Ukraine, and the Trump administration’s repeated threats to cut U.S. military and financial support for the continent. “It is therefore a cause for concern that, in various parts of the world — and in Europe as well — rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation,” he noted. In addition, Leo called for strict ethical regulation of artificial intelligence-powered autonomous weapons, stressing that life-or-death decisions must never be left to automated systems, and must remain rooted in human moral accountability.

In a nod to Spain’s colonial history and the Catholic Church’s role in that era, Leo invoked the 16th-century School of Salamanca, a Spanish intellectual movement that laid early groundwork for modern international law and universal human rights in the aftermath of Spain’s conquest of the Americas. He praised the movement’s theologians for recognizing that power and self-interest could never be justified by force alone, and that all exercise of power has inherent moral limits. Acknowledging past failures, Leo admitted that both society and the Catholic Church itself often failed to live up to these moral principles, referencing his recent formal apology for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing the transatlantic slave trade and the colonial conquests of the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese rulers.

A central focus of Leo’s address was the global migration crisis, echoing the priority placed on migrant rights by his predecessor Pope Francis, and doubling down on his own criticism of the Trump administration’s hardline crackdown on migration in the United States. Leo called for strengthened global action to dismantle human smuggling networks, and to create economic and social conditions that allow people to thrive in their home countries. But for those forced to flee conflict, poverty, and climate change, he demanded compassionate welcome and full integration. “This gives rise to a twofold demand for social justice: to offer safe and legal pathways, a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration; and, at the same time, to promote the right to remain in one’s own land, working to ensure that no one has to leave their home due to a lack of peace, security or decent living conditions, including economic inequalities and the effects of the climate crisis,” he said.

Leo’s address to Spanish lawmakers comes amid a delicate political moment for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose Socialist-led minority government has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals affecting former officials and close allies, though Sánchez himself has not been directly implicated. For three years, Sánchez’s government has been unable to pass core legislation, including a national budget, as Spain grapples with deepening political polarization. In a direct reference to this division, Leo warned that political pluralism should never devolve into constant demonization of political opponents.

Notably, the atheist prime minister and the American pope have found uncommon common ground on a range of major global policy issues, despite the Catholic Church’s historical alignment with Spain’s conservative Popular Party. After meeting Leo at the Vatican last month, Sánchez praised the pontiff as a “moral compass” for global politics. Both leaders have emerged as outspoken critics of military escalation in the Middle East, with Leo labeling recent Israeli strikes on Iran as unjust, and Sánchez positioning himself as Europe’s most vocal advocate for diplomatic negotiation over conflict. Echoing Sánchez’s stance, Leo declared: “Weapons may impose a temporary silence; but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace.” This alignment has created an unlikely alliance between Spain’s progressive government and the Vatican, particularly on migration policy: Sánchez’s government has broken with the restrictive trend seen across much of Europe and the U.S., launching a major legalization campaign earlier this year for hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants already living and working in Spain, arguing that migration is critical to shoring up the country’s aging workforce and sluggish economy.

Armenia’s 2026 parliamentary election has delivered a decisive mandate for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his centrist Civil Contract Party, cementing the country’s trajectory toward deeper integration with the West even as traditional ally Russia wields economic pressure to alter its course. The final vote count released by Armenia’s electoral commission confirmed Civil Contract won 49.8% of the popular vote, a clear lead that will give the party a dominant majority in the national assembly. Trailing far behind were the pro-Russian Strong Armenia Alliance at 23.2%, the also pro-Russia Armenia Alliance at 9.9%, and conservative Prosperous Armenia with just 4% of the vote, with most of the 19 competing parties and blocs failing to clear the threshold for parliamentary representation. Overall voter turnout hit 59%, in line with pre-election projections.

This vote marked the first general election Armenia has held since its 2023 crushing military defeat to neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, a conflict that reshaped the country’s domestic political landscape and foreign policy priorities. Widely framed as a de facto referendum on Armenia’s geopolitical alignment, the election outcome is set to shape the small South Caucasus nation’s ties with both Moscow and Western capitals for years to come.

Pashinyan, who first rose to power in 2018 on a wave of mass anti-establishment protests against former leader Serzh Sargysan, declared victory early Monday morning, as preliminary results pointed to his party’s clear win. In his victory address, Pashinyan framed the outcome as a popular mandate for cross-border cooperation and regional stability. “Armenian people voted for peace, regional prosperity and cooperation,” he told supporters. He also clarified that while his administration would continue advancing its pro-Western rapprochement agenda, Armenia would remain an active member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the customs bloc that has long delivered tangible economic benefits to the country.

The result has drawn swift reaction from across the globe, with European Union leadership and France among the first Western powers to extend congratulations, praising both the democratic conduct of the vote and Armenia’s ongoing efforts to deepen ties with European institutions. U.S. President Donald Trump has also previously endorsed Pashinyan’s accelerated peace talks with Azerbaijan, brokered through U.S. mediation.

What makes this victory particularly notable is that it comes despite a marked decline in Pashinyan’s domestic approval ratings in recent years. Public opinion polling puts his current support at roughly 30%, down from 54% in the 2021 election. The erosion of popularity is largely tied to the fallout of the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which ended with Azerbaijan retaking full control of the mountainous enclave that had been home to 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Pashinyan’s critics across the political spectrum have refused to forgive his diplomatic concessions to Azerbaijan to advance peace, including his refusal to advocate aggressively for the release of former Nagorno-Karabakh leaders imprisoned in Baku. Even with the victory, the ongoing peace process with Azerbaijan remains deeply divisive among Armenians, with one recent poll showing 44% support and 41% opposition to the proposed framework.

In the lead-up to the vote, Russian leadership made clear its opposition to Pashinyan’s pro-Western shift, repeatedly pressuring the Armenian government to clarify its geopolitical alignment. In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an immediate public referendum on whether Armenia would pivot to European integration or remain within the Russian-led EAEU, pointing out the steep economic costs of a Western shift. Last month, Putin explicitly warned Armenia that moving closer to the West would carry the same kind of crisis that followed Ukraine’s own efforts to pursue EU accession, highlighting that Russia currently supplies Armenia with natural gas at $177.50 per 1,000 cubic meters, a heavily discounted rate far below the European market price of over $600 per 1,000 cubic meters. In the final two weeks before election day, Moscow ramped up economic pressure further by banning exports of key Armenian goods including flowers, cognac, mineral water, and fresh produce, a move widely seen as an attempt to sway voter sentiment against Pashinyan.

Pashinyan has spent the last several years deliberately steering Armenia away from Moscow’s sphere of influence: his administration has passed formal legislation to launch the EU accession process, hosted a high-profile summit of EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Yerevan earlier this year, and advanced U.S.-brokered peace talks with Azerbaijan. Despite these steps, European integration remains a long-term goal: Armenia has not yet been granted EU candidate status, and full membership is still years, if not decades, away. For now, the election result confirms that a majority of Armenian voters back Pashinyan’s balancing act: deepening ties with the West while maintaining existing economic and political arrangements within Russian-led blocs.

In the early hours of Monday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared victory in the country’s snap general election, after official preliminary results confirmed his ruling Civil Contract Party secured a dominant first-place finish with 49.81% of the popular vote. The outcome of Sunday’s vote is widely viewed as a defining mandate for Pashinyan’s proposed new geopolitical trajectory for Armenia, a small South Caucasus former Soviet republic that has increasingly sought to distance itself from long-standing ally Moscow and advance its membership aspirations with the European Union.

Preliminary data from Armenia’s Central Election Commission shows that three opposition blocs crossed the 4% vote threshold required to secure seats in the new national parliament. The runner-up position went to the Strong Armenia bloc, led by imprisoned billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who captured 23.29% of the vote. Karapetyan, who amassed his business fortune in Russia, is currently under house arrest on charges of plotting to overthrow the sitting government — allegations he has repeatedly dismissed as a politically motivated fabrication targeting his opposition. His bloc’s platform centers on rebuilding and expanding deep economic and political ties with Russia, and it has openly accused Pashinyan of reckless actions that risk triggering direct conflict with the Kremlin.

Two smaller parties also won parliamentary representation: the pro-Russia Armenia bloc took 9.94% of the vote, while Blossoming Armenia secured exactly the 4% threshold needed to enter the legislature. Final official data put overall voter turnout at 59.97%, a correction from an earlier erroneous report that incorrectly cited a 97% turnout figure.

Speaking to reporters at his campaign headquarters shortly before official results were confirmed, Pashinyan asserted his party had secured a historic landslide win and planned to form a single-party majority government without needing to enter a coalition with opposition groups.

The election outcome drew immediate congratulatory responses from top European Union leaders, who frame the contest as a critical litmus test for Russian influence across the post-Soviet space. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the enduring legacy of Pashinyan’s 2018 Velvet Revolution, the mass protest movement he led that ousted long-time pro-Russian leader Serzh Sargsyan. In a public social media statement Monday, von der Leyen said, “The spirit of the Velvet Revolution you led in 2018 is alive and well. We deeply value our partnership with a democratic Armenia that is drawing ever closer to Europe. Armenia can count on us.”

European Council President António Costa also extended his congratulations, emphasizing the EU’s growing strategic interest in the South Caucasus, a region that connects European energy markets to vast fossil fuel reserves in Central Asia. “Together, the EU and Armenia are building stronger links between people and creating new opportunities in energy, trade, and digitalization. Our strong partnership is an investment in a more peaceful and prosperous future for the region as a whole,” Costa wrote in a post on the social platform X.

The result comes amid mounting pressure from Moscow on Yerevan, with the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union previously threatening to suspend Armenia’s membership over its push to deepen ties with Brussels. The election confirms a clear popular mandate for Pashinyan’s pro-Western shift, setting the stage for new geopolitical realignment in the volatile South Caucasus region.