Once again, Santiago Bernabeu, home ground of Spanish La Liga Club, Real Madrid, became the universal venue for a historic event.
The Stadium hosted the meeting of Pope Leo XIV with the diocesan community of Madrid; an event that is part of his holiness’s papal journey across Spain
For the second time in history, a Pope visited the 83,000-capacity football Stadium after John Paul II’s visit in 1982.
The event, which reached it most emotional moment in the evening, was attended by over 70,000 people. Pope Leo XIV was welcomed at the Bernabeu by Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid.
In his address to the attendees, the Pope said: “I suppose for a football player, scoring a goal in this stadium is a life-defining moment, but today the church of Madrid has scored a goal for eternity.
“This evening is a great hymn of faith, and I am pleased to join my voice with yours to praise God and strengthen the bonds of such a beautiful family that is learning the art of polyphony, that is, unity in diversity.”
Religious, artistic, musical and magical performances
There were different performances including, music and magic at the event
According to Real Madrid official website:
Patricia Pardo and Christian Gálvez hosted an event that began at 4:30 pm, where the images of the Virgin of Almudena and the Christ of Medinaceli also played a central role
Artists such as Íñigo Quintero, Diana Navarro, Daniel Diges, and David Bustamante, along with the Cruz Diez Symphony Orchestra, provided the musical highlights, while magician Jorge Blass entertained attendees with his performance
One of the most special moments came from the Family Choir of the Church of Madrid, created for this occasion and composed of a thousand voices, including 300 children.
During his third day in Madrid, the Spanish Capital, the Head of the Catholic Church held a private meeting with victims of abuse by members of the clergy in Spain.
Photo: Pope Leo XIV meets with the Diocesan Community of Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu | REAL MADRID
