Pope in front of hundreds of thousands of young people: "Be the light"

Pope praises Spain for "loyalty to international law"

At a meeting with representatives of the state, civil society and foreign diplomats in Madrid, the Pope regretted that "the message of peace in these times unfortunately sounds naive to some and provocative to others". He did not mention US President Donald Trump, but the latter had sharply attacked him after criticizing the Iran war in May and called on him to stay out of politics. At the same time, he published a painting of himself as Jesus.

"The temptation to gain popularity by stirring up polarization seems to be increasing rather than decreasing," the Pope lamented. Human dignity continues to be violated, added Leo, who has sharply criticized Trump's deportation policy in the past. His firm stance against Trump has earned the 70-year-old a lot of sympathy in Spain.

The pontiff thanked Spain, whose left-wing government has also already incurred Trump's wrath, for its "loyalty to international law and multilateralism". Instead of "divisive and polarizing" statements about the present, we must move from "fruitless simplifications to a fruitful recognition of its complexity". "Let us avoid words that demean or antagonize," said Leo.

Pope is held in high esteem in Spain

Under the motto "Raise your gaze", the Pope will visit Barcelona and the Canary Islands during his week-long stay in Spain, in addition to the capital Madrid. This is the first visit to a major European country outside Italy for the US-American, who has headed the Catholic Church since May last year. Leo speaks fluent Spanish, having worked for many years as a missionary and bishop in Peru.

Meeting with victims of abuse

In the meantime, the Vatican has also announced that the Pope will meet with victims of sexual abuse in Catholic institutions. This had been requested by victims' associations. Leo himself described the abuse scandals on the outward flight as an "open wound" in the Catholic Church. Spain's King Felipe VI also addressed "the pain caused by the abuse cases" in his welcoming speech for the Pope and described reparation as essential for the victims.

The blessing of the Jesus Tower of the Sagrada Família Basilica in Barcelona on Wednesday - the 100th anniversary of the death of architect Antoni Gaudí - and two meetings with migrants from Africa in the Canary Islands are also likely to attract a great deal of attention during his visit.