Hundreds of people from Malaga meet Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Spain

Antonio Moreno and Encarni Llamas

From June 6 to 12, Pope Leo XIV will visit Spain, and many people from Malaga do not want to miss an event like this, ... the visit of a pope to our country, which has not occurred for 15 years, specifically since Benedict XVI came to Madrid to participate in the World Youth Day (WYD) of 2011.

It was precisely the Diocesan Youth Delegation, the first Malaga institution that got moving, as soon as the date of the first events was confirmed, to charter buses so that the people from Malaga could join this event. The call has already closed and there will be around 400 young people that this diocesan pilgrimage has gathered. For the priest in charge of Youth, José Miguel Porras, these moments are lived "with great enthusiasm, because an encounter with the Pope always comes to strengthen our faith, that of the boys and girls of our communities, but also that of those who accompany them." For Porras, the participation of young people in these types of events is crucial: "it can mark them in an unforgettable way. Speaking precisely today on the subject with a teacher she told me about the good memories she kept from when she went to see the Pope with the school when she was a child." In addition, the fact of participating in a massive gathering has, for the priest, a very positive effect for young people "especially from rural environments where they are very alone because perhaps there are no strong groups in the parish. In this way, they discover that there are many thousands, millions, of young people who share their same faith."

The group organized by the Diocesan Delegation will participate in the youth vigil that will take place on June 6 in Plaza de Lima and in the Mass the following day, solemnity of Corpus Christi, in Plaza de Cibeles. The expedition is made up of young people from various parishes of the capital such as Santa Inés, la Amargura, El Salvador or San Miguel, from schools like that of the Teresianas, in addition to towns like Marbella, Coín, Alhaurín de la Torre or Alhaurín el Grande.

From this last town is Irene Pérez, a 26-year-old nurse: "I have not had the luck to go to a WYD –she explains–, so this will be my first experience and I look forward to it with great excitement. It will surely be very enriching and will allow us to meet many people eager to live the faith and evangelize in the midst of the world." Irene confesses she is a big fan of Leo XIV: "he is giving good insights. He is gradually revealing his personality, sending messages to reflect upon, he is coming on strong." That's why she does not stop inviting young and old who are still not sure whether to attend or not: "from this visit, we Christians can start to change the world. Have no doubt and let's go to Madrid!"

From the parish of Cártama, Juan Pedro Barbancho, 18 years old and a student of agronomic and forest engineering, points out that he "is especially excited to be able to see the Pope and live such a moment of faith, which is very significant for me, especially for the message he may give us." Juan Pedro hopes to "return with a fuller heart and with more eagerness to live and transmit my faith."

Apart from the young people registered with the Youth Delegation, dozens of buses are expected to come from different parishes, movements, and congregations, as well as from schools like Sagrada Familia El Monte or those of the Loyola Foundation. Likewise, numerous citizens plan to attend the meeting in private vehicles, train, or plane, both to the events in Madrid and those in Barcelona.

Although the bishop of Malaga will also participate in the meetings scheduled along with the rest of the Spanish bishops in Madrid, he has also wanted to accompany the Pope specially on his visit to the Canary Islands. José Antonio Satué will do it together with the group of 17 Malaga priests of the "decade" (those who have been exercising the ministry for less than 10 years). It will be a moment of approach –explains its responsible, Salvador Gil– by the hand of the Pope and D. José Antonio, "to the migratory reality that we live so firsthand in our diocese of Malaga, with Melilla at the forefront. It is about expressing our affective and effective communion with Pope Leo, who has wanted to take up the baton from Pope Francis by coming to the Canary Islands and Tenerife to express his great concern for the situation of pain that is lived in the south of Europe."

The presence of people from Malaga in the papal trip is also accredited from the organization itself, as two priests have been part of the commission in charge of preparing the event. Specifically, Rafael Vázquez, in the National Coordination Committee, responsible for the pastoral area, and Alejandro Pérez, from the Organizing Committee of the CEE, in the area of liturgy.

The organization reminds those who wish to participate in any of the events planned in any of the three venues, the importance of registering. The registration of participants, as well as all the information generated by this historic event, is available on the website conelpapa.es.

• More topics
• Cártama
• Coín
• Málaga
• Barcelona (Province)
• Alhaurín el Grande
• Madrid (city)
• Canary Islands
• Spain
• Alhaurín de la Torre
• Marbella
• José Antonio Satué (Bishop of Málaga)
• Pope Leo XIV