The Vicar of Christ is doing Islam’s PR
Pope Leo XIV began an official visit to Spain by urging Spaniards to embrace multicultural coexistence with Islam and stop “fanning the flames of polarization” over mass migration from the Muslim world.
The Vicar of Christ is doing Islam’s PR
Soeren Kern | Ideological Defense Institute | June 11, 2026
Pope Leo XIV began an official visit to Spain (June 6–12) by urging Spaniards to embrace multicultural coexistence with Islam and stop “fanning the flames of polarization” over mass migration from the Muslim world. He said that Christians and Muslims can live together as friends and proceeded to present medieval Spain—which was occupied by Islamic invaders for nearly 800 years—as an interfaith utopia that led to advancements in astronomy, medicine, and science.
The Pope’s remarks were greeted with significant pushback by Spanish historians, theologians, and lay Catholics. They accused him of misrepresenting Spain’s history by repeating the false claims of progressive historians that life on the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) during its eight-century-long occupation by Muslims was a paragon of religious tolerance and harmony.
