More than a million people join Pope Leo for outdoor Mass in Madrid | Pope Leo XIV
More than a million people packed the streets near one of Madrid’s main squares to attend an open-air mass in what will likely be the biggest event of Pope Leo’s week-long visit to Spain.
Scores of people drove along the barriers near the landmark Cibeles Square, waving flags and shouting “Long live the pope” as Leo arrived for the event in his white mobile vehicle. When he arrived at the square, some threw flower petals.
The Vatican and local organizers said there were about 1.2 million people in the square and surrounding streets.
In his homily for the Mass, Leo appealed to the crowd to live out the Catholic faith by helping others, saying that God “identifies with the poor, the oppressed, the lonely and abandoned.”
Earlier, in a message in the guestbook as he was handed the key to the city by the mayor, he also expressed hope that Madrid “will remain a welcoming and inclusive city where social life is inspired by true human values.”
Leo began his tour on Saturday with meetings with migrants and homeless people and a vigil in Madrid attended by nearly 600,000 young people. His visit, from June 6 to 12, will also include stops in Barcelona and the Canary Islands, meeting with migrants who risk their lives while passing through West Africa.
He said he hoped his visit to Spain, his first to an EU country other than Italy, would set an example to the world about respecting “every human being” and called on leaders to stop dividing voters.
“I am very glad that he is praying for us immigrants and our safety,” said Andrea Margarita, a 72-year-old Peruvian who came to Spain six months ago, as she waited among the crowd in a wheelchair with her daughter.
Following the service, Leo was scheduled to hold a private meeting with other members of the Augustinian religious order in the afternoon before meeting with figures from the world of entertainment, sports and culture at a concert hall in the center of Madrid.
