Pope Leo XIV in Spain!
Madrid, June 6 (EFE).-
Pope Leob XIV began his visit to Spain on Saturday in Madrid, where he called for an end to polarization, urged the Catholic community to care for the most vulnerable, and encouraged young people to seek the truth in the face of social media lies.
The day began at Barajas Airport, where the Pope was received by the King and Queen, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the Mayor of Madrid José Luis Martínez Almeida, among other officials.
Shortly after, at the Royal Palace and before representatives of the main state institutions and most of the regional presidents, Leo XIV delivered a speech laden with political messages.
Addressing them all, the Pope said he had come to Spain to encourage “deeper reconciliation and cooperation,” urging the nation to “abandon divisive and polarizing narratives.”
He also emphasized that Spain’s own history “suggests that it is not a culture of confrontation, but one of encounter, that generates stability and prosperity.”
The Pope also praised Spain’s global stance, thanking the country for “its fidelity to international law and multilateralism, which translates into an active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples.”
In the afternoon, he visited the Caritas center for people in situations of exclusion in Lucero, where he met with homeless people and former attendees who had rebuilt their lives.
”Charity brooks no delay,” said Leo XIV at this event, during which he called on Catholics to care for those most in need.
”We cannot forget the poor if we do not want to stray from the living current of the Church that springs from the Gospel and enriches every moment in history,” he noted.
He also lamented that there are Christians who allow themselves to be “infected” by attitudes marked by “worldly” ideologies or by political and economic positions that lead to “unjust generalizations and misleading conclusions.”
The highlight of the day was the vigil in Plaza de Lima, with more than half a million young people filling the streets to celebrate him.
The Pope invited them to seek the truth in the face of the “lies” of social media, to “give a new direction to society,” and to flee the “emptiness of indifference and conformism, in the face of the violence of war and lies.”
”Ideologies pass, while the truth remains,” emphasized Pope Leo XIV after asking the young people to be “the spark of a new humanity.”
”The mission I entrust to you is precisely this: that you be human. Yes, be human! Men and women of flesh and blood. Not facades, but trustworthy faces,” Pope Leo said.
The visit will continue on Sunday with a Mass in the iconic Plaza de Cibeles and a meeting with cultural and sports figures at the Movistar Arena. EFE
pamp/mcd
