Pope Leo's Mass Draws More Than 1 Million On The Streets Of Madrid

MADRID — Pope Leo XIV challenged Europe to admit Christianity’s contributions to its taste personality Sunday, arsenic he presided complete a Mass successful Madrid attended by much than a cardinal group and honored Spain’s centuries-old traditions of belief devotion and culture.

Leo celebrated Spain’s Christian roots and civilization pinch nan immense greeting Mass successful downtown Madrid and an evening spectacle that featured flamenco dancers, classical guitar and a moving meditation by Spanish character Antonio Banderas connected art, religion and beauty.

In his remarks, Leo challenged Europe to see what nan continent’s personality would beryllium without nan power of Christianity. He cited its art, civilization and nan domiciled played by Christians — “motivated by their faith” — to build its schools, hospitals and different institutions.

“Is it earnestly imaginable to judge that Europe — which we profoundly emotion — would beryllium nan aforesaid without nan power of faith?” Leo asked, successful demanding that belief look beryllium allowed to support its spot successful nan nationalist sphere.

A greeting Mass and convoy connected floral carpets

Leo, who arrived successful Spain connected Saturday astatine nan commencement of his weeklong visit, has been keen to item nan agelong contented of Christian civilization and devotion present to promote particularly young generations to find their faith. It’s a gangly bid successful a once-staunchly Catholic state wherever belief observance has mostly been connected nan wane.

Sunday fell connected nan Catholic Corpus Domini feast day, which often features processions of religious done towns and cities led by a leader carrying nan Eucharist. In Spain, arsenic successful different predominantly Catholic countries, nan processions often characteristic elaborate floral carpets arranged on nan route.

During Sunday’s Mass, Leo said that nan floral carpets definitive nan “spiritual sentiments of this country” done “altars erected successful nan streets.”

“This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore aliases a elemental show of beauty,” he said. “It is simply a occupation of religion successful nan beingness of nan risen Lord, who is live and continues to locomotion among us.”

He said that nan continued observance of specified devotional practices points to what Spain tin and should beryllium for nan world.

“Herein lies nan task of Spain coming and successful nan future: to guarantee that nan religiosity which has shaped and defined this state for hundreds of years is not a depository of nan past to beryllium visited, but a schoolhouse of religion from which to tie moreover today,” he said.

At nan extremity of nan Mass, Leo carried a gilded monstrance, aliases container, holding a Eucharistic big and walked complete immoderate of nan 16 floral carpets that dressed up nan convoy route, arsenic children dropped further petals earlier him and nan crowd tossed petals from down nan barricades.

Huge crowds shake hands nan American pope

Leo’s sojourn to nan state of 50 cardinal has drawn immense crowds, pinch a vigil work Saturday nighttime drafting an estimated 600,000 young Spaniards. They knelt for respective minutes successful silent dream alongside Leo, suggesting that location is so liking successful nan religion among young people, contempt Spain’s largley secularized society.

On Sunday, their numbers doubled: Organizers said that 1.2 cardinal group had turned retired connected a superb outpouring greeting for Leo’s Mass astatine Madrid’s iconic Plaza de Cibeles and surrounding streets, pinch much trying to get in.

“It’s spectacular,” said Julián Tapiador, a advisor who came to nan Mass. “I’m truthful proud that nan pope is successful Spain aft 15 years. Hopefully he comes again and we tin each spot him again.”

Octavio Puche, a retiree, thanked Leo for making nan trip.

“Apparently nine is not arsenic secularized arsenic it seems, because location are a cardinal group present successful Madrid, and I deliberation he has shown a very quality look of Christ, very adjacent to nan people, to their suffering,” he said.

Sex maltreatment ungraded hangs complete visit

Despite nan lukewarm welcome, nan clergy intersexual maltreatment scandal, which has erupted belatedly successful Spain successful caller years, has loomed complete Leo’s trip. The Catholic level has begun to reckon pinch its bequest aft reporting successful nan section media.

Leo is expected to meet survivors while successful Spain, but respective victims groups person complained that they person been near successful nan acheronian astir erstwhile nan gathering is taking spot and whether they are invited.

Miguel Hurtado, a salient subsister who accused a monk astatine Montserrat Abbey extracurricular Barcelona of sexually assaulting him much than 2 decades ago, protested extracurricular nan Vatican’s embassy successful Madrid connected Sunday. He said that he wrote to nan Vatican requesting a gathering pinch Leo and for nan pope to cancel his planned Wednesday sojourn to nan 1,000-year aged Benedictine monastery.

“I understand you can’t meet pinch each of america victims, because we are much than 400,000,” Hurtado said, speaking to a cardboard photograph of Leo.

As he spoke, a crowd of nuns and others lined nan thoroughfare extracurricular nan Vatican embassy, waving Spanish flags and chanting slogans successful favour of nan precocious erstwhile dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain pinch an robust grip for astir 4 decades aft nan 1936-39 civilian war.

The Catholic Church was a pillar of Franco’s dictatorship, and astatine slightest until nan 1960s, nan religion enjoyed wide power and power complete Spanish nine that waned aft populist took root.

“Spain is Christian and not Muslim!” nan crowd yelled.

A shape of celebrated piety making love backmost centuries

The contented of laying flower carpets — and destroying them erstwhile nan convoy tramples them — dates backmost 2 hundreds of years and is celebrated besides successful Latin America, wherever elaborate soil designs are besides made. The painstaking displays are considered an offering to nan Eucharist.

According to Spanish organizers, nan 16 flower carpets decorating Sunday’s convoy way disconnected Plaza de Cibeles were prepared by a Spanish florists relation from nan bluish region of Galicia. Florists utilized much than 30,000 flowers, astir nan yellowish and achromatic colors of nan Holy See flag, for nan carpets that characteristic decorations specified arsenic nan Holy See keys.

Poland has already had its contented of Corpus Domini flower carpets recognized by UNESCO, and Galicia is trying to person its contented listed on pinch different countries arsenic portion of nan world’s intangible taste heritage.

Wildly celebrated belief processions, pilgrimages and feasts proceed to beryllium held successful astir Spanish regions. The astir recognizable are Semana Santa, aliases Holy Week, processions during nan last week of Lent wherever brotherhoods and robed penitents parade ornate statues of Christ and nan Virgin Mary done cities, towns and villages alongside marching bands. Such processions tie nan religious arsenic good arsenic droves of nonbelievers and tourists.

Winfield and Naishadham constitute for nan Associated Press. AP writers Alicia León and Srdjan Nedeljkovic contributed to this report.