Pope Leo XIV jokes Bad Bunny will draw a bigger Madrid crowd

• Pope Leo XIV, 70, met Bad Bunny privately in Madrid this week
• Bad Bunny requested the meeting and was "truly moved" by the encounter
• The tour stop also drew Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia of Spain

Pope Leo XIV has proved himself a certified Bad Bunny fan. During a visit to Spain earlier this week, the pontiff held a private audience with the Puerto Rican superstar in Madrid, according to CNN. A Vatican spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that Leo XIV also met Bad Bunny's "family and other people" during the encounter.

En route to Spain, Leo XIV, 70, spoke to CNN and made light of the fact that his religious gathering and Bad Bunny's concert were taking place in the same city at the same time.

"If they are confronted with the question: do they want to see Bad Bunny or do they want to see the pope, I think many will go to see Bad Bunny."

"But I think there will also be a few there to see the pope. And that too says something, you know."

CNN reported that it was Bad Bunny, 32, who sought the meeting — and the Vatican confirmed the "Monaco" singer was "truly moved" when the two shook hands.

Royal fans and a world tour

Bad Bunny's Madrid show on Sunday was a stop on his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, which supports his 2025 studio album of the same name. The concert attracted some high-profile audience members: Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia of Spain were both in attendance at Nissan Stadium that evening.

The album itself made history in January when it was named Album of the Year at the Grammys — the first fully Spanish-language record ever to claim the Recording Academy's top honour.

A landmark Super Bowl performance

The following month, Bad Bunny — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, becoming the first artist to perform entirely in Spanish at the event. At the pre-show press conference on 5 February, he playfully told viewers they "only have to worry about dance" and don't need to learn Spanish to enjoy his set.

"I just want people to have fun. It's gonna be a huge party and what people can always expect from me. Of course a lot of my culture, but I really don't want to give any spoilers."

Toy Story 5 and a feature film debut

Earlier this month, Disney revealed that Bad Bunny will lend his voice to a character in the highly anticipated Toy Story 5, due in cinemas on 19 June — a toy modelled on a slice of pizza in sunglasses.

The "Me Porto Bonito" singer is also set to take the lead role in a feature-length historical drama set in Puerto Rico. The film will mark the directorial debut of René Pérez Joglar, the rapper better known as Residente.