“Protocanon” is an honorary title reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state, recognizing the monarch as a collaborator of the pope.

VATICAN CITY — King Felipe VI of Spain on Friday was installed as protocanon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in a solemn ceremony that underscores the historic link of the Spanish monarchy with the oldest Marian church in the West.

“Protocanon” is an honorary title reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state, recognizing the monarch as a collaborator of the pope without bestowing executive functions or decision-making power. The investiture March 20 renewed a relationship that dates back centuries and that last took place with Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1977.

The king arrived at the Marian basilica, one of four papal basilicas in Rome, after a 50-minute audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting served as a prelude to the pontiff’s upcoming apostolic journey to Spain, scheduled for June 6–12.

Upon their arrival at the basilica, the king and his wife, Queen Letizia, were received at the Bronze Gate by the Spanish canon of the chapter, Monsignor José Jaime Brosel, and the archpriest of the basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas.

The king and queen viewed a statue of Philip IV of Spain, ancestor of the current monarch, a work designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and one of the pieces of evidence that show the centuries-old historical and spiritual relationship between Spain and the oldest Marian temple in the West.

During the ceremony, Makrickas stressed that “authentic tradition is not stagnation but the living transmission of a gift that transcends time” and recalled that the basilica is entrusted with prayer for Spain and its head of state.

Parts of the bull Hispaniarum Fidelitas were also read at the ceremony. Pope Pius XII signed the important document, which renewed and confirmed the historic ties of devotion and protection between the Spanish nation and the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in Rome on Aug. 5, 1953.

In a short speech, King Felipe VI reaffirmed his commitment to the historic Roman basilica and appealed for “clarity of deed and word, of heart and conscience” in the current context. He also invited people to overcome selfishness and indifference in order to become “a small beacon of concord, generosity, and dedication to the common good.”

Spain’s connection to the Basilica of St. Mary Major

Few know that the Basilica of St. Mary Major has close ties to the Spanish crown. Proof of this lies in the statue of Philip IV — an ancestor of the current king — which stands in the atrium.

The work was inaugurated in 1692 during the tenure of the Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Medinaceli.

The duke “was one of the main benefactors of St. Mary Major,” Brosel, a canon of the basilica and rector of the Spanish National Church of Santiago and Monserrat in Rome, told EWTN News ahead of the March 20 event.

“In fact, it was in 1647 that Pope Innocent X formally established the Spanish Charitable Foundation in this basilica. Furthermore, the pope established an annual income in exchange for certain privileges for the Spanish monarchy,” Brosel explained.

From that moment onward, the kings of Spain have held the title of “honorary protocanon.” This was a gesture of support for the pope during the Counter-Reformation but also a guarantee to safeguard the influence of the Spanish monarchy within the Holy See.

The last time a Spanish head of state took possession as protocanon of the basilica was the father of the current king, Juan Carlos I, on Feb. 10, 1977.

Brosel emphasized that Spain’s bond with the basilica “is born from the heart of Spain and its deep Marian devotion, where Spaniards feel St. Mary Major is their home.”

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on March 20, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Papal audience

The investiture ceremony for the king took place following a visit to the Vatican and private audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Leo’s upcoming trip to Spain — which is expected to include stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands — will be the first papal journey to Spain in 15 years.

Benedict XVI was the last pope to visit the country, traveling to Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011. At that time, Felipe VI was still a prince and the king was his father, Juan Carlos I.

Queen Letizia at Friday’s papal audience wore white, a privilege reserved for Catholic queens, although without a mantilla or hair comb.

The private conversation and exchange of gifts with Pope Leo was followed by talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Secretariat of State.

This story was first published as three articles by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister agency of EWTN News. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.