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Mass draws 1.2 million
More than 1.2 million people filled the streets and Plaza de Cibeles area in Madrid on Sunday for an open-air Mass led by Pope Leo XIV during his June 6-12 visit to Spain.
The BBC said the crowd lined Madrid streets as Pope Leo XIV celebrated the Mass in the Spanish capital, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia among congregants for his morning service.
The Guardian reported queues began forming hours before the sun rose on Sunday for the 10am event, with organisers estimating more than 1.2 million people turned up.
In his sermon, Pope Leo told worshippers God “identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken,” and he urged Catholics to express faith through action rather than private devotion.
Quotes on faith and politics
The Guardian said Pope Leo appeared to emphasise the disconnect between Christian values and far-right politics, telling worshippers: “No one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother.”
In Madrid, the pope also urged those gathered not to shut themselves away in “private devotion” but to dedicate themselves “to our brothers and sisters, to families, to the poor, to those who suffer, to those who have lost hope”.
Crux described the pope’s remarks to those engaged in culture, art, the economy and sports as a path forward “free of ideological divides,” and said he invoked Spain’s task “to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited”.
The BBC reported that Pope Leo’s remarks echoed his royal reception, where he praised Spain’s “faithful adherence to international law,” and it said the trip would include an unprecedented address before the Spanish parliament and a meeting with victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
Next stops and migrant focus
After the Mass and procession in Madrid, Pope Leo XIV was scheduled to hold a private meeting with fellow members of his Augustinian religious order before gathering with figures from the world of entertainment, sport and culture at a concert venue in central Madrid.
The BBC said the visit would also feature Pope Leo’s due trip to the Canary Islands with Prime Minister Sánchez later in the week, where they will honour thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach Europe.
Firstpost said the pontiff used the Mass to call for compassion, inclusion and support for migrants and the poor, and it said his visit would take him to Barcelona and the Canary Islands where he will meet migrants who have undertaken dangerous journeys from West Africa.
The Guardian added that before Sunday’s mass, Pope Leo expressed hope the tour would set an example to the world about respecting “every human being,” and it said he was scheduled to inaugurate the Jesus Christ tower of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica in the coming days.
