On June 8, the Congress of Deputies will host an institutional event with Pope Leo XIV, who will visit the Chamber in his capacity as head of state. Felipe González, José María Aznar, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Mariano Rajoy have been invited, along with former presidents of the Cortes, regional presidents, and high state institutions. The visit will last less than an hour and will include a speech in the chamber. Security will be maximum: the surroundings will be heavily guarded, and access will only be allowed with a parliamentary ID card.
Extreme security and express logistics for the papal visit 🛡️
The security deployment at the Congress will be one of the most complex in recent years. Access points will be closed with electronic controls and security personnel, and traffic will be restricted within a wide perimeter. The duration of the event, less than sixty minutes, requires millimeter coordination between the Royal Household, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Presidency of the Congress. The use of the parliamentary ID card as the only pass will prevent leaks but will cause queues at the entrances. Everything is designed so that the pontiff enters, speaks, and leaves without a hitch.
Four former presidents, one Pope, and an express coffee ☕
Seeing González, Aznar, Zapatero, and Rajoy seated in the same chamber without arguing is almost as unlikely as the Pope arriving by bicycle. The visit lasts less than an hour, just enough for a speech and a protocol greeting. The four former presidents will share space, but surely each one thinks the neighbor in the seat should be somewhere else. At least security will prevent anyone from escaping early.