Pope at Audience: 'I was comforted by the faith and joy of the Spanish people'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

“The people of God gave me great comfort through their joyful expression of their faith and affection.”

Pope Leo XIV made this observation during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, as he reflected on his Apostolic Journey to Spain, visiting Madrid, Barcelona, the Abbey of Montserrat, and the Canary Islands.

READ POPE LEO XIV'S FULL GENERAL AUDIENCE

The Holy Father recalled that after a long journey in four African countries, this time he found himself in a European country with an ancient and very rich Catholic tradition, which, despite significant social and cultural changes, welcomed him with enthusiasm and readiness to listen.

For this, Pope Leo said he thanks God and the entire Spanish people, the King and civil authorities, the Bishops and Church communities, also for the opportunity to confirm the faithful and, as Bishop of Rome, encourage them to overcome every form of division and conflict by always promoting communion, dialogue, and unity in diversity.

“This,” Pope Leo explained, “is the very service of the Successor of Peter, a service which finds a specific expression in Apostolic Journeys, each time adapted to the ecclesial and social situations of the countries visited.”

Warm welcome ‘not to be taken for granted’

During his trip to Spain, the Pope said he observed with joy how people of every age and situation were looking forward to the visit of the Pope and welcomed him with great warmth.

“This fact," Pope Leo underlined, "was not to be taken for granted, and is worthy of reflection.”

While he acknowledged that such participation naturally expresses, first of all, the faith of the Spanish people, he said at the same time, "it reveals a widespread need to find unity on a true and deep foundation, one that is neither ideological nor based on partial interests.”

That foundation, Pope Leo underscored, only Christ can ensure.

A heritage to safeguard with care

The Holy Father then retraced the experience, recalling the liturgical celebrations in Madrid and Barcelona, and praying the Holy Rosary at the Abbey of Montserrat.

 "This encounter of ancient and modern, Catholic tradition and contemporary culture," he reflected, "enabled me to perceive first-hand the very character of Europe, its inestimable wealth, as a living reality, not a thing of the past.”

The Pope said this “a heritage” that must be safeguarded with care, so that it may be invested in today’s global world with its momentous challenges: peace, integral ecology, equitable and sustainable development, and respect for human dignity.

Church's recognition of challenges

The Pope framed these as challenges already clearly recognized by the Second Vatican Council and revisited by the subsequent Magisterium, including in his own Encyclical Magnifica humanitas, which aims to safeguard the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

“I grasped, through the various meetings,” Pope Leo noted, “the need to hear, through the Pope’s voice, the Gospel of hope for today’s humanity, sorely tried by the negative consequences of a deceptive model of development.”

Edifying testimonies

The Holy Father also thanked God for moving encounters and edifying testimonies.

In particular, he recalled the faces of the little ones and the poor whom he met, as well as "the child who read his letter in the parish, victims of abuse who asked to be heard, inmates waiting for him in prison, young people full of anxiety and aspirations, and migrants in reception centres in the Canary Islands."

Turning to the final leg of the journey, the Pope recalled the reality of the local Church in the Canary Islands that welcomes a large number of forced migrants, coming mainly from Africa.

“We know that the phenomenon of migration is complex and requires organic and coordinated action plans. But this interpretation,” he said, “opens up a different, broader perspective.”

Yet, he noted, “it enables us to understand how we are called to reread the Gospel in today’s world, exchanging with each other the gifts of our respective cultures, and in particular the fruits produced in them by the fruitfulness of Christ’s message.”

Lift your gaze to the Lord

One of these fruits, he said, is precisely dialogue between people and between peoples and the encounter in a spirit of fraternity.

“This path is not easy," Pope Leo admitted, stressing that "it requires goodwill and God’s help," but "leads to the civilization of love.”

Finally, Pope Leo XIV recalled that the motto of the Journey was “Lift up your gaze!” (cf. Jn 4:35), and extended this invitation to all people to lift their gaze to the Lord.