Pope Leo XIV draws 1.2 million to Mass and challenges Europe to acknowledge its Christian roots

MADRID (AP) — Pope Leo XIV challenged Europe to admit Christianity’s contributions to its taste individuality Sunday, arsenic helium presided implicit a Mass successful Madrid attended by much than a cardinal radical and honored Spain’s centuries-old traditions of spiritual devotion and culture.

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

In his remarks, Leo challenged Europe to see what the continent's individuality would beryllium without the power of Christianity. He cited its art, civilization and the relation played by Christians — “motivated by their faith” — to physique its schools, hospitals and different institutions.

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

A greeting Mass and procession connected floral carpets

Leo, who arrived successful Spain connected Saturday astatine the commencement of his weeklong visit, has been keen to item the 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 spiritual observance has mostly been connected the wane.

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

During Sunday's Mass, Leo said that the floral carpets explicit the “spiritual sentiments of this country” done “altars erected successful the streets.”

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

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

“Herein lies the task of Spain contiguous and successful the future: to guarantee that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this state for centuries is not a depository of the past to beryllium visited, but a schoolhouse of religion from which to gully adjacent today,” helium said.

At the extremity of the Mass, Leo carried a gilded monstrance, oregon container, holding a Eucharistic big and walked implicit immoderate of the 16 floral carpets that decorated the half-kilometer (less than half-mile) procession route, arsenic children dropped further petals earlier him and the assemblage tossed petals from down the barricades.

Huge crowds greet the American pope

Leo's sojourn to the state of 50 cardinal has drawn immense crowds, with a vigil work Saturday night. drafting an estimated 600,000 young Spaniards. They knelt for respective minutes successful soundless supplication alongside Leo, suggesting that determination is so involvement successful the religion among young people, contempt Spain’s heavy secularized society.

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

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

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

“Apparently nine is not arsenic secularized arsenic it seems, due to the fact that determination are a cardinal radical present successful Madrid, and I deliberation helium has shown a precise quality look of Christ, precise adjacent to the people, to their suffering,” helium said.

Sex maltreatment ungraded hangs implicit visit

Despite the lukewarm welcome, the clergy intersexual maltreatment scandal, which has erupted belatedly successful Spain successful caller years, has loomed implicit Leo's trip. The Catholic hierarchy has begun to reckon with its bequest aft reporting successful the section media.

Leo is expected to conscionable survivors portion successful Spain, but respective victims groups person complained that they person been near successful the acheronian astir erstwhile the 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 the Vatican’s embassy successful Madrid connected Sunday. He said that helium wrote to the Vatican requesting a gathering with Leo and for the pope to cancel his planned Wednesday sojourn to the 1,000-year aged Benedictine monastery.

“I recognize you can’t conscionable with each of america victims, due to the fact that we are much than 400,000,” Hurtado said, speaking to a cardboard photograph of Leo.

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

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

“Spain is Christian and not Muslim!” the assemblage yelled.

A signifier of fashionable piety dating backmost centuries

The contented of laying angiosperm carpets — and destroying them erstwhile the procession tramples them — dates backmost 2 centuries and is fashionable besides successful Latin America, wherever elaborate soil designs are besides made. The painstaking displays are considered an offering to the Eucharist.

According to Spanish organizers, the 16 angiosperm carpets decorating Sunday's procession way disconnected Plaza de Cibeles were prepared by a Spanish florists relation from the bluish portion of Galicia. Florists utilized much than 30,000 flowers, astir the yellowish and achromatic colors of the Holy See flag, for the carpets that diagnostic decorations specified arsenic the Holy See keys.

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

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

___

Alicia León and Srdjan Nedeljkovic contributed to this report.

___

Associated Press religion sum receives enactment done the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely liable for this content.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.