He drew on Spain’s historical past for example of peaceable co-habitation between religions and cultures, making reference to how Christians, Muslims and Jews cooperated throughout medieval occasions to boost human data by translating Arabic texts into Latin, Spanish and Hebrew on the College of Translators in Toledo.
“Your personal historical past suggests {that a} tradition of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity,” he stated.
HUGE CROWDS EXPECTED
1000’s lined the streets of central Madrid, some waving Vatican and Spanish flags below clear spring skies, as Leo toured in an open-air popemobile from which he was seen once more doing the “6-7” hand gesture in style amongst younger individuals.
Enormous gatherings are anticipated within the coming days for the primary go to to Spain by a pope since 2011.
A 2025 survey by Fundación SM discovered there was a surge in curiosity in Catholicism by younger individuals in Spain, with 28.8 % declaring themselves practising Catholics in 2025 in comparison with 17.6 % in 2020.
“After I see the pope doing the ‘6-7’, it feels acquainted. I believe there will likely be increasingly Catholics due to him,” stated Perla Garcia, 15, as she waited for Leo to attend a vigil for younger individuals.
Within the afternoon, Leo visited a homeless shelter the place he heard the tales of migrants who had been helped to settle once they first arrived in Madrid.
