Pope Leon XIV holds private audience with Bad Bunny in Madrid

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leon XIV received Puerto Rican reggaeton star Bad Bunny for a private audience at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, Spain, while the pontiff was on his Spanish tour. The meeting was held after a public event that drew about 80,000 attendees and was not open to the press.

Sources say the initiative came from Bad Bunny, who expressed a desire to meet the pope. Observers note the encounter underscored shared messages on cultural diversity and immigration, topics both figures have spoken about publicly.