León XIV’s first true mass gathering in Madrid arrived at night, with the vigil organized in Lima square, in the shadow of the Santiago Bernabéu. The National Police estimated the attendance at around 500,000 people from different parts of Spain. Among them, chants echoed that seemed rescued from other eras: “This is the Pope’s youth!”
Read more The Pope warns of the deception of certain political positions in the face of injustice
The Pontiff traveled along the Paseo de la Castellana aboard the popemobile amidst an enthusiastic crowd. Even from the buildings near the stadium, whose residents are usually especially sensitive to noise and have waged a long legal battle against the Bernabéu concerts promoted by Florentino Pérez, many participated in the celebration by hanging Spanish flags and yellow banners with the face of the Bishop of Rome. This time they endured for hours a din that in other circumstances would have provoked protests, although perhaps the Christian spirit helped them to bear it.
Prevost took the opportunity to recount some episodes of his own spiritual biography, as a missionary and bishop in Peru
In a question-and-answer format already common in papal meetings with young people since the time of Francis, León XIV left them a simple message: to change the world, you don’t need to be an influencer, but authentically human and credible people. “The mission I entrust to you is precisely this: that you be human. Yes, be human!”, he affirmed.
Prevost took the opportunity to recount some episodes of his own spiritual biography. He particularly recalled the years lived in Peru as a missionary and then as a bishop. He assured that he especially preserves the testimony of faith of a people marked by many difficulties, but full of hope. The encounter with people’s wounds and joys, he explained, helped him grow in following Jesus and transformed him while proclaiming the Gospel. “The word of the Lord brings peace where there is conflict and becomes for all a source of reconciliation and justice,” he affirmed.
Read more The King remembers the social work of the Church without forgetting “the pain caused by the abuses”
Read also
The Pope also explained that, in addition to Saint Augustine, there are three saints who have particularly marked his path. The first is Saint John Chrysostom, whom he presented as an example of love for truth and courage to proclaim it even in the face of power. The second is Saint Thomas of Villanova, the Spanish Augustinian and Archbishop of Valencia from the 16th century, whose dedication to the reform of the Church and to charity continues to inspire him. The third is Saint Toribius of Mogrovejo, also Spanish, a missionary in Peru and defender of indigenous peoples, whom he set as a model of commitment to justice against abuses and corruption.
“If they were capable, why not me?”, he recalled asking himself many times while contemplating the lives of these saints. And he posed the same question to the young people, inviting them to seek examples of life capable of being attractive to new generations as well.
