More than one million people don gather for Madrid street on Sunday as Pope Leo XIV celebrate open-air Mass for Spanish capital, organisers tok.
He greet crowd as e move through city for im popemobile on second day of im official visit to country, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia among congregants for morning service.
Worshippers wave Spanish and Vatican flags and shout ‘long live the Pope’, while others throw petals upon im arrival at Plaza de Cibeles.
During im sermon, e urge those wey gather to express dia faith by helping others, saying God ‘identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those wey dey alone and forsaken’.
E say dem no should look at religion as ‘a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today’.
Authorities mount major security operation for the Mass and subsequent procession through central Madrid.
The streets dey decorate with banners wey carry Pope face and thousands of white and yellow carnations to match Vatican flag colours.
Large crowds don similarly gather for city as e begin im week-long trip on Saturday, where e praise Spanish government opposition to global conflicts and im support for migrants during reception at royal palace.
‘I come to meet Jesus Christ through the words of the Pope,’ 30-year-old Marta Perez tell AFP news agency on Sunday. ‘He come to do good, with all im love.’
Ana Milagros, 64, say the Pope dey try to ‘help all of us’. ‘There is a lot of polarisation and differences for politics, for social matters, for economy,’ she tok.
Late on Saturday, the pontiff don join by some 500,000 congregants – most of whom be young people – for prayer vigil near Real Madrid Santiago Bernabeu stadium wey stretch into night.
‘In the face of the emptiness of indifference and compliance, before the violence of war and lies, you must be the sparks of a new humanity,’ e tell those wey gather.
Im remarks echo those wey e deliver during im royal reception, for which e praise Spain commitment to peace and im ‘faithful adherence to international law’.
The country socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez don clash with US President Donald Trump over US and Israel war against Iran, and with Israel over war for Gaza.
The Chicago-born pope don also draw criticism from president over im anti-war views.
Im trip to Spain – the first by pope for some 15 years – go also feature unprecedented address before Spanish parliament and meeting with victims of sexual abuse within Catholic Church.
Pope Leo dey also due to visit Canary Islands with Prime Minister Sánchez later for week, where dem go honour thousands of migrants wey don die trying to reach Europe.
