Pope Leo XIV arrived in Spain this weekend for a landmark week-long visit, marking the first papal visit to the country in 15 years.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia hosted a welcoming ceremony at Madrid's Royal Palace on Saturday, where over a million people gathered along the capital's streets to greet the Pontiff.
The 58-year-old monarch was joined by Princess Leonor, 20, and Princess Sofia, 19, for the historic occasion.
Beyond Madrid, the Pope's itinerary includes stops in Barcelona and the Canary Islands, visiting both Gran Canaria and Tenerife during his Spanish tour.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia hosted a welcoming ceremony at Madrid's Royal Palace on Saturday, where over a million people gathered along the capital's streets to greet the Pontiff.
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The visit aims to deliver a message of unity to a nation grappling with political and church-related divisions.
On Sunday, the Corpus Christi feast day transformed Madrid's Cibeles Square into an extraordinary scene of devotion, with 1.2 million faithful gathering for an open-air Mass led by the Pontiff.
The famous plaza, typically associated with Real Madrid supporters celebrating football triumphs, became a vast congregation as Pope Leo XIV travelled through the capital in his popemobile.
Crowds chanted "long live the Pope" while waving both Spanish and Vatican flags along the route.
The visit aims to deliver a message of unity to a nation grappling with political and church-related divisions.
|GETTY
Traditional floral carpets lined the procession path, with locals scattering petals before the Pope as he carried a gilded monstrance containing the Eucharist.
During his sermon, the Pontiff urged attendees to show compassion, declaring that God "identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken."
The evening before, approximately 600,000 young Spaniards had filled Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium for a vigil service, joining the Pope in several minutes of silent prayer while kneeling.
Addressing the vast youth gathering, Leo XIV delivered an encouraging message about religious service.
"Let me take the opportunity to tell all of you: Don't ever be afraid of thinking about a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, or other services in the church," the Pope told the crowd.
The 58-year-old monarch was joined by Princess Leonor, 20, and Princess Sofia, 19, for the historic occasion.
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The Pontiff has made engaging younger generations a priority during his Spanish visit, seeking to revive Catholic devotion in a country where religious practice has declined significantly in recent decades.
The Pope emphasised that Spain's centuries-old religious traditions should serve as an active source of spiritual guidance rather than a relic of bygone eras.
"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," Leo XIV stated.
Throughout his journey, the Pontiff has sought to highlight Spain's deep-rooted Catholic heritage as a means of inspiring contemporary believers.