Pope Leo XIV Celebrates Open-Air Mass in Madrid, First Papal Visit to Spain in 15 Years
The pontiff presided over an open-air service at Plaza de Cibeles on the second day of his visit to Spain, the first papal trip there in 15 years. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia attended.
Al JazeeraMore than one million people lined the streets of Madrid on Sunday as Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass at Plaza de Cibeles. Organizers stated that attendance reached two million. The pontiff traveled through the city in a popemobile on the second day of his official visit.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia attended the morning service. Worshippers waved Spanish and Vatican flags, shouted "long live the Pope," and threw petals as the Pope arrived. Streets were decorated with banners bearing the Pope's face and thousands of white and yellow carnations.
Authorities mounted a major security operation for the Mass and the subsequent procession through central Madrid. Pope Leo XIV hailed Spain as a "school of faith" and urged unity amid the crowds. On Saturday evening, approximately 500,000 people, most of them young, attended a prayer vigil near Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The vigil stretched into the night. On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV praised the Spanish government's opposition to global conflicts and its support for migrants during a reception at the royal palace. The visit is the first by a pope to Spain in some 15 years.
It includes an address before the Spanish parliament and a meeting with victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the Canary Islands with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later in the week to honour thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach Europe.
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