Presentation of León XIV at the Bernabéu. 70,000 faithful participated in the Pope's meeting with the diocesan community of Madrid. This event comes after a morning at Congress where he demanded a response to the migratory issue that goes "beyond the management of flows" and advocated for the defense of human life before a Parliament that is processing the reform of the Constitution to protect abortion.
On today's agenda, León XIV also met with victims of sexual abuse within the Church at the Apostolic Nunciature. The meeting took place in a context of particular sensitivity due to the handling of abuse cases within the Church and the demands for reparation from survivors.
Collective spirit
“The specificity of the Christian mission within the great urban realities is becoming increasingly evident,” stated the Pontiff, in a reflection focused on life in large capitals and the need to strengthen community support.
The Pope also warned of the sense of disorientation affecting part of current society. “In big cities, more than elsewhere, we sometimes feel like we no longer have the maps to navigate safely,” he pointed out.
“The investment in parish and diocesan councils has no lesser objective than this: to modify everyone's sensitivity through a deeper listening to what the Spirit says to the Church. It would be a shame to reduce them to mere bureaucratic procedures,” he stated before a fully engaged and committed audience.
In the same vein, the Pontiff urged religious communities to remain connected with the social reality of the neighborhoods and with the cultural transformations experienced by Spanish society: “Dear brothers, without deviating from the essential, the act of regularly pausing with your people to interpret the life of the neighborhoods, the cultural changes, the social tensions…”.
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During the event, a video was also shown advocating for Madrid's role in the Church's mission, which, however, did not overlook some of the major problems affecting the capital, such as housing or unwanted society.
Florentino's debut
Madrid experienced a frenetic day yesterday with the visit of the Pope, Bad Bunny's sixth concert in the capital, and the Real Madrid presidential elections, whose stadium hosted the meeting of Leo XIV with the diocesan community of Madrid this Monday.
Precisely, the recently re-elected president of the historic club, Florentino Pérez, had words of remembrance for the Pontiff in his first speech:
“You have shown the world what madridismo is, what this feeling that unites millions of people represents. Among them, the Pope, to whom this Monday I am going to give a jersey with his name and number 1 when I see him.”
