More than 1.2 million people poured into the streets of central Madrid on Sunday in the hope of catching a glimpse of Pope Leo XIV, according to figures provided by the Vatican and local organizers.
The head of the Catholic Church travels in the “Popemobile” on the boulevard of the Spanish capital Paseo de la Castellanafor central Plaza de Cibeles – This square is known as a rallying point for football supporters celebrating Real Madrid’s successes.
People tossed flower petals, waved flags and chanted “Long live the Pope!” As the 70-year-old American arrived at the square, where he presided over an open-air mass prayer meeting.
In his sermon, the Pope told the crowd: “This is not an exhibition, a relic of folklore or a simple display of beauty. It is a profession of faith in the presence of the emergent God, who is alive and walks among us.”
He said that God “identifies with the poor, the dispossessed, the lonely and the abandoned” and called on Spanish Catholics to set an example.
“This is the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity that has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith that can be inspired today.”
Spain: Crowd welcomes Pope’s ‘humanitarian teachings’
On Saturday, Pope Leo was welcomed by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in Madrid and was handed the keys to the city by the city’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
“May Madrid remain a welcoming and inclusive city, where social life is driven by genuine human values,” he wrote in a guest book.
He then held meetings with vulnerable members of society, including migrants and the homeless, before praying with approximately 600,000 young Catholics.
“I’m glad he’s praying for us migrants and for our safety,” Andrea Margarita, a 72-year-old Peruvian who arrived in Spain six months ago, told the Reuters news agency as she waited in the crowd in a wheelchair with her daughter on Sunday.
“These are good teachings, whether we believe in them or not,” Laura Peralta, a 46-year-old school counselor from the southern region of Andalusia, told the AFP news agency. “Those are humanistic teachings,” he said.
Catholicism in Spain
The Pope will be in Spain – his first visit to an EU country outside Italy – until June 12, with visits to Barcelona and the Canary Islands also scheduled. There they are expected to receive migrants who have risked their lives from West Africa.
Leo said he hoped his visit would set an example to the world about respecting “every human being” and he urged politicians to stop dividing their voters.
Spain has been the traditional stronghold of Catholicism in Europe ReconquistaThe “reconquest” of the region from Islamic rule, which was completed in the 15th century, and the rule of the Catholic House of Habsburg in the 17th century.
However, today, the number of Catholics in Spain is declining, with only 53% of the population officially identifying as Catholic – 20% less than 15 years ago. Only 16% of Spaniards consider themselves Catholic.
Yet the crowd that gathered around Plaza de Cibeles Sunday was still twice as big as the celebration of Real Madrid’s last Champions League win in 2024.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko
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