MADRID, June 7, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - More than 1.2 million people filled the 
streets of Madrid on Sunday for a mass by Pope Leo XIV at which he called for 
a renewal of the Catholic faith in Spain.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined throngs of devotees waving Spanish 
and Vatican flags in Cibeles Square for a service filled with religious 
symbolism.

In his homily, Pope Leo said Spaniards should not look at religion as "a 
museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw 
even today".

The mass comes on day two of Pope Leo's seven-day visit to Spain, a 
traditional Catholic bastion where religious observance has been declining 
sharply in recent years as in much of western Europe.

A huge logistical and security operation was in place for the event, after 
which the pope led a traditional procession along a route lined with white 
and yellow carnations -- the Vatican flag colours.

Organisers said there were more than 1.2 million people attending in the 
square and the surrounding area.

Nico Aldeanueva, 28, who was visiting from Philadelphia in the United States, 
said the pope was "a very unifying force in a moment where we have division 
across so many different fronts".

"We have, it seems like, never-ending conflict and for the time being here 
you get to hit pause and get to enjoy the moment and feel the faith."

Ana Milagros, 64, who was waving a Vatican flag, said she thought the US-born 
pope seemed "approachable" and "very sincere".

"There is a lot of polarisation and differences in politics, in social 
matters, in the economy," she said, adding: "The pope is trying with this 
visit... to help all of us."

- Focus on migration -

Later on Sunday, Leo will meet the leading lights of culture, sport and the 
economy at an arena, with the aim of fostering dialogue between faith and 
modern civil society.

Around 56 percent of Spaniards identify as Catholic compared to 90 percent in 
the 1970s, according to a survey last month by the Centre for Sociological 
Research, an autonomous government body.

On Saturday, 500,000 mostly young attendees congregated with Leo outside Real 
Madrid's Bernabeu stadium for a prayer vigil that stretched into the night.

Leo kicked off his visit with pomp and ceremony at a reception in Madrid's 
royal palace, where he called for an end to "polarising narratives" and 
"sterile simplifications".

The pope also praised Spain, whose left-wing government has sparred with his 
native United States as well as Israel over wars in the Middle East, for its 
"active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples".

Leo is due to visit Barcelona on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he will notably 
bless the Sagrada Familia basilica's recently completed tower, which made it 
the world's tallest church.

His trip will end with a focus on migration on Thursday and Friday in the 
Canary Islands, a key destination for irregular arrivals, with thousands 
dying in the Atlantic Ocean trying to reach them.