More than 1.2 million people attended an open-air Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in central Madrid on Sunday.the organizers said. It is the second day of his week-long visit to Spain. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP and AP agencies.
King Philip VI was among those present at the Plaza de Cibeles. and Queen Letizia. This space is usually used to celebrate the achievements of the Real Madrid football club. Many people had been lying on the sidewalks since early morning to secure the best possible seats.
Traditionally, the Pope drove around the square in the papamobile, where thousands of people surrounded him. According to the organizers, 16 flower carpets on a half-kilometer route near Plaza de Cibeles were prepared by an association of Spanish florists from Galicia. They used more than 30,000 flowers, mostly yellow and white, which are also on the flag of the Vatican, and created motifs from them, including the crossed keys of St. Peter – the symbol of the Holy See.
In his Sunday homily, Lev praised the Spanish tradition of Corpus Christi processions and said that the floral carpets express the “spiritual feeling of this land” through “altars erected in the streets”. “This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty. It is a confession of faith in the presence of the resurrected Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us,” he added.
At the same time, he said that these devotions show what Spain can and should be for the world. “This is the role of Spain today and in the future. To ensure that the religiosity that has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past, but a school of faith that can be drawn from today.” zoomed in on the Pope.
The tradition of floral carpets, which are subsequently trampled during the procession, goes back two centuries and is also known from Latin America. where, in addition, they also create complex sand patterns. These works are understood as a Eucharistic sacrifice.
In Poland, the tradition of the Corpus Christi floral carpets has already been registered in the UNESCO list, and the region of Galicia is seeking similar recognition. According to the program, the head of the Catholic Church is still scheduled to meet with representatives of the Augustinian order and representatives of the culture sector.
