Spain: More than 1.2 million faithful attend Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Madrid: 'A very unifying force'

More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid this Sunday to attend the Mass of Pope Leon XIV, in which the pontiff called for a revival of the Catholic faith in Spain. The Mass comes on the second day of the pope's seven-day visit to the country.

Chants and applause resounded in the heart of the capital as hundreds of thousands of faithful overflowed Cibeles Square. The faithful began arriving early in the morning, and from miles away, rivers of people could be seen slowly advancing toward the emblematic meeting point.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined the throngs of devotees waving Spanish and Vatican flags at Cibeles for a service full of religious symbolism.

Faith as a living school for the present

Before the ceremony began, Leo XIV received the Medal and the Golden Key of Madrid from Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida.

In his homily, Pope Leo stressed, "May the religiosity that for centuries has animated this country not be a museum of the past to visit, but a school of faith from which to drink today as well." The pontiff also recalled that religion "teaches us to kneel before God and before our neighbor."

Likewise, Leo emphasized that "we are called to be present in the situations and challenges of society, not to flee, to commit ourselves personally to the construction of the common good."

Leo XIV is "a very unifying force"

Nico Aldeanueva, 28, who was visiting Madrid from Philadelphia, told AFP that the pope was "a very unifying force at a time when we have division on so many different fronts."

"We seem to have endless conflicts and, for the moment, here you can put on pause and enjoy the moment and feel the faith," he added.

After the ceremony, the pope presided over a traditional procession down Alcalá Street, whose route was lined with white and yellow carnations, the colors of the Vatican flag.

Half a million young people gather with Pope Leo XIV

On Saturday, about 500,000 attendees, mostly young people, gathered with Leo outside Real Madrid's Bernabéu Stadium for a prayer vigil that extended into the night.

The pope began his visit with pomp and ceremony at a reception at the royal palace in Madrid, where he called for an end to "polarizing narratives" and "sterile simplifications."

Abascal meets Pope Leo XIV

On that same Saturday, Santiago Abascal, president of the Spanish conservative party Vox, announced on his X account that he had personally greeted Pope Leo XIV during his first visit to Spain.

"Today I had the opportunity to greet Leo XIV on his first visit to Spain. We wish him to enjoy the welcome of many Spaniards who are proud of their History and their Christian identity," Abascal wrote.

Leo XIV will bless the Sagrada Familia and conclude his visit in the Canary Islands

The pope will travel to Barcelona on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he will preside over the blessing of the recently completed tower of the Sagrada Familia, which now holds the title of the world's tallest church.

His visit will conclude Thursday and Friday in the Canary Islands, where he will focus his attention on migration. The archipelago is one of the main entry points for irregular immigrants, a crossing in which thousands of people have died trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean.