Those who come to see Leo XIV mix with those who are going to meet him. First weekend of June, spring weather and tens of thousands of people walking through the center of Madrid while the Pope takes the first steps of his trip to Spain at the capital’s kilometer zero. There, between the Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Cibeles, pilgrims begin to gather, taking advantage of Saturday before heading down the main avenues towards the afternoon vigil in Lima and the great mass in Cibeles on Sunday.
The papal euphoria is already felt in the heart of Madrid. A group of pilgrims from Malaga sets the rhythm at Puerta del Sol with their guitars to the sound of Manolo Escobar’s Porrompompón. Tourists and curious onlookers join the party, which ends with the chant that, 15 years later, once again takes to the streets of the capital: “This is the Pope’s youth”.
Not far from there, another group from Granada, dressed in the official travel gear, a white polo shirt with the visit’s emblem and the motto Alzad la mirada, takes photos in a Plaza Mayor crowded with pilgrims and tourists. Guided tour groups photograph the balconies and even the EMT buses, which circulate with the flags of Spain and the Vatican.
On Calle Mayor, the crowd suddenly pulls out their phones when sirens activate, indicating an entourage is approaching. Shouts and tension, but it’s not the Pope, although he’s not far from there. One of the buses transporting journalists from the Royal Palace makes its way through the crowd towards the Real Casa de Correos, headquarters of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, which hosts the International Press Center. On the opposite corner of the palace, an improvised rosary prays “for the salvation of Spain and for the visit of Spain”.
The excitement for the visit of Leo XIV spreads even among those who had not planned to attend the celebrations. “Do you know which hotel he’s staying in?” two girls ask from the door of the Four Seasons, one of the capital’s most luxurious sidewalks. The question remains unanswered by their interlocutors. Leo XIV will stay far from there, at the Apostolic Nunciature, on Pío XII avenue.
If one approaches the last stretch of Gran Vía from the Sevilla area and its fusion with Calle Alcalá, they will see a sea of metal fences, camera towers, giant screens, and an organ testing the loudspeakers that tomorrow will turn the center of Madrid into the setting for a historic mass, with the expected presence of hundreds of thousands of faithful.
However, few are currently approaching the main altar, which is already prepared. The orchestra rehearses, the official production cameras simulate their shots, and dozens of tourists photograph the security setup. But no one is queuing yet or taking a spot for the celebration, access to which will require a QR code to reach each sector. First will be this afternoon’s vigil, and from there, already in the early morning, many will not sleep and will make Castellana their nocturnal corridor until the mass with Leo XIV, at ten tomorrow morning, in Cibeles.