The Holy Father in Spain offers road map to future of hope ⁰

Pope Leo XIV on his second day in Spain invoked the country’s rich faith traditions and expressions of popular piety as a path, especially for young people, out of the polarized ideological divisions that grip much of global society.

He spoke of the path forward in remarks to those engaged in culture, art, the economy and sports, highlights also the need to form networks built on respect, dialogue, collaboration and selflessness.

Also on Sunday, 1.2 million people were present for his Mass and procession in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, where the pope said Spain’s present and future task is “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.”

It must be a school, he said, “that teaches us to kneel before God and before our neighbor, because no one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother.”

He stressed the need to go beyond selfishness and to “be present in the realities and challenges of society, not shying away, but personally committing ourselves to the building of the common good.”

Pope Leo is currently on a seven-day tour of Spain, making stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.

Sunday’s Mass marked the Solemnity of Corpus Christi Mass and was followed by Eucharistic procession, which Leo led, walking over the traditional flower carpets intricately designed and delicately prepared for the occasion.

His visit comes as Spain, previously one of the world’s greatest global evangelizers and home to some of the most famed mystic saints in the world, is experiencing a rapid growth in secularism and as Europe more broadly grapples with geopolitical instability.

Source: Crux