Capital of Spain and seat of the Spanish Bishops' Conference. Home to the Almudena Cathedral — completed in 1993 and consecrated by John Paul II — and to the Royal Palace, where the Pope will be received in state. Madrid's Catholic heritage spans the Habsburg era to the present day.

Catalonia's cosmopolitan capital and home to Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família — a UNESCO World Heritage basilica under construction since 1882, consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and a towering expression of faith in stone and light. The papal visit includes a solemn ceremony at the still-unfinished masterpiece.

Largest of the Canary Islands and a front-line point of arrival for migrants crossing from West Africa. The Canary Islands received over 46,000 migrants by sea in 2023 alone. The Pope's presence here is a pastoral gesture of solidarity with those who risk their lives on the Atlantic passage, and with the Church workers who receive them.

The "continent in miniature", Gran Canaria is home to the Diocese of Canarias — one of Spain's oldest sees, established in 1406 — and to a Caritas network that leads humanitarian response on the islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hosts the Cathedral of Santa Ana, built in the 15th century, the spiritual anchor of the Canarian Church.