Crowds stretching across central Madrid gathered Sunday to witness Pope Leo XIV celebrate Mass at Plaza Cibeles, with organizers and the Vatican reporting attendance of about 1.2 million people. It was the largest single event of Leo's weeklong visit to Spain, and the country's first papal visit in 15 years.
According to Al Jazeera, people filled the streets well before Leo arrived in his white popemobile, waving flags and shouting "Long live the pope." Some tossed flower petals as he looped around the plaza and surrounding streets packed several rows deep.
The Mass fell on the Catholic Corpus Domini feast day, traditionally marked by processions through city streets. In Spain, those processions often feature elaborate floral carpets laid along the route. On Sunday, a Spanish florists association from Galicia prepared 16 flower carpets decorating a half-kilometer route off Plaza Cibeles, using more than 30,000 flowers, most in the yellow and white colors of the Holy See flag.
At the close of Mass, Leo carried a gilded monstrance holding a Eucharistic host and walked over the floral carpets. Children dropped additional petals before him while the crowd tossed petals from behind barricades.
In his homily, Leo addressed the meaning behind the procession directly. "This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty," he said. "It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us."
He also spoke to Spain's broader religious identity. "Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today," he said.
Leo, a member of the Augustinian religious order, arrived in Spain on Saturday. That evening, an estimated 600,000 young people attended a vigil service, kneeling alongside the pope in several minutes of silent prayer. NPR reported the scene as evidence of continued religious interest among younger Spaniards despite the country's heavily secularized society.
As he arrived at Madrid's city hall, Leo wrote in the guestbook: "May Madrid continue to be a welcoming and inclusive city, where social life is inspired by true human values."
His weeklong itinerary includes stops in Barcelona and the Canary Islands, where he is scheduled to meet migrants and refugees who crossed from West Africa. Leo has said he hopes the trip will set an example to the world about respecting "every human being" and has urged leaders to stop dividing electorates.
