The soundtrack of the Pope's visit

Iker Cortés

Madrid

Pope Leo XIV's visit to our country will have its own soundtrack. Music will have a privileged place during the apostolic journey through Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, with performances by various artists, many of them renowned, accompanying many of the events presided over by the supreme pontiff. It will be key, for example, at the large gathering with the faithful to be held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Monday, June 8, but it will also be vital at the prayer vigil with young people taking place on Saturday at Plaza de Lima starting at 6:30 PM.

The first major performance, however, will arrive just hours after Leo XIV lands in Spain on June 6. Following his official reception alongside the Kings and authorities in Madrid, the Pontiff will visit the Cedía 24 Hours center of Caritas, dedicated to the care of homeless people. There, Niña Pastori will perform, in a meeting with the holy father that the 48-year-old artist repeats two decades after her historic performance of 'Ave María' before John Paul II at Cuatro Vientos, where she sang in front of a million people. "I'm going to do something very much my own, accompanied by a guitarist and probably also with a little box drum. Let's see what comes out and what happens there," she recently shared in an interview where she explained it would be a "more intimate and humble" meeting "in front of people who really need us."

That same afternoon, music will resound loudly at Plaza de Lima starting at 6:30 PM. "There will be concerts during the vigil because we want to experience a true festival of faith," explained the Archdiocese of Madrid, which has already unveiled many of the names that will be seen throughout that first day addressing the youth in their own language. Undoubtedly, two of the big draws are the singer-songwriter Beret and the presence of Siloé. The trio from Valladolid, made up of Fito Robles, Xavi Road, and Jaco Betanzo, has just released their latest album, 'Emotional Terrorism'. "It will be the most special concert of this year," their singer assured in a statement to the newspaper ABC, where he was delighted to participate in the meeting. "It cheers us and fills us. It's the privilege of privileges," he said.

Mr. Rain or DePol confirm that melodic pop will be the tone in an afternoon where there will also be space for flamenco by Antoñito Molina

Mr. Rain, DePol, or Antonio José confirm that melodic pop will be the dominant tone in an afternoon where there will also be space for flamenco by Antoñito Molina or the somewhat more robust pop of Besmaya, one of the most interesting emerging bands of the night, going through Malmö 040 or Ignacio Serrano. Plaza de Lima will even come to emulate the theaters that line Madrid's Gran Vía, as the actors from 'Godspell', the gospel musical directed by Antonio Banderas, which revolves around the Gospel of Saint Matthew from the experiences of a group of young people in a big city, will take the stage. "We want it to be a night to prepare the heart before the meeting with the Holy Father, uniting the talent of the current scene with the message of hope," the Archdiocese of Madrid explains about a meeting with the Pope whose arrival is expected at 8:30 PM.

The organization has also reserved a very special place for artists who have been setting music to the faith of thousands of young people for years. Hakuna, the mass phenomenon that fills venues like the Movistar Arena with songs like 'Hurricane' or 'Simply', whose plays exceed twenty million on platforms like Spotify, will be the star group among the bands and soloists of Christian pop that use modern music to connect Catholicism with youth. Paola Pablo, Tuyo, Lola Tuduri, Servus Mariae, or Presence Project will also be there on a night that still has surprises to unveil.

Rozalén and hope

Music will also nourish the meeting named 'Weaving networks with the world of business, education, culture, and sports' to be held at the Movistar Arena, on Sunday, June 7, between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Hosted by Lara Síscar and Carlos Franganillo, during the event, prominent figures such as Antonio Banderas, Sara Baras, Carolina Marín, and Teresa Perales will participate, along with representatives from the educational, business, and labor sectors. But it will be the singer Rozalén who will close the event with a performance that promises to be one of the most emotional moments of the afternoon. Her intervention will put the final touch on a meeting designed to highlight the importance of building solid links between people and institutions in the service of the common good. According to the organization, the singer "will remind us of something deeply human: that even in the search, even in the uncertainty, there is hope." Moreover, the event will feature performances by the Royal Professional Dance Conservatory Mariemma, the Arturo Soria Professional Music Conservatory, and the Community of Madrid's Higher School of Singing.

The soundtrack will continue to be very present on Monday, June 8, at the large meeting with the diocesan community to be held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which will gather about 70,000 people. It will be an afternoon animated by the legendary announcer El Pulpo and hosted by Christian Gálvez and Patricia Pardo, featuring performances, among others, by magician Jorge Blass or actor Santi Rodríguez. From the strictly musical realm, there will be appearances by Valivan, La Voz del Desierto, OzoresP, Luispo, Guilleproff, or Daniel Diges. Some will offer solo performances and others will lend their voices alongside the large Family Choir of the Church of Madrid, a group composed of 1,000 singers - 300 of them children - along with 70 musicians from the Cruz Diez Symphony Orchestra, the Salesian Pop Band, and a corps of 100 dancers directed by choreographer Ismael Olivas. The choir will be conducted by priest Toño Casado.

But all attention will ultimately be on Diana Navarro, whose voice is linked to copla and saeta; Íñigo Quintero, the young man who surpassed a billion plays with 'If you're not here', and David Bustamante, the big stars of the afternoon. It will be the latter who performs the anthem 'Raise your gaze', composed expressly for the Pope's visit. "I get goosebumps every time I perform or hear it, and that's a good sign. It's a very demanding anthem to sing," Bustamante explained to Telemadrid, thrilled with this "historic" opportunity.

By the way, the visit coincides with Bad Bunny's residency in Madrid. However, there will be no counterprogramming in the strictest sense of the word, as the Santiago Bernabéu will host the great meeting of the pontiff with the diocesan community of Madrid on June 8, just one of the few days that Benito rests, although on June 6 some of the concert attendees may ultimately prefer to go to Plaza de Lima, about ten kilometers from the Metropolitano, where the Pope will preside over the prayer vigil with the youth.

Will there be a meeting between the artist and the supreme pontiff? The cardinal archbishop of Madrid and vice president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, José Cobo, does not rule it out. "Madrid has a lot to offer and it could be. I think that as soon as he - referring to Benito - finds out that he is here, if he wants to talk to the Pope, the Pope will surely receive him as he receives everyone," he explained this Thursday. However, Cobo assured that "surprises are surprises" and insisted that this type of meeting "is carried out very discreetly."

In Barcelona and the Canary Islands

When Leo XIV arrives in Barcelona on June 9, music will once again occupy a central place. The singer Sergio Dalma will participate in the large prayer vigil planned at the Olympic Stadium of Barcelona. With more than three decades of professional career, the soloist represents that cross-generational artist capable of reaching several generations. The next day, the Pope will officiate a mass at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. After the Eucharist, accompanied by a choir of 600 people, Leo XIV will go outside and from the facade of the nativity bless and inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ. In total, about 8,000 people will attend the event, and the organizers have said there may be "surprises."

In Barcelona, Sergio Dalma will participate in the prayer vigil planned at the Olympic Stadium; in the Canary Islands, Los Sabandeños will set the musical tone

Pope Leo XIV concludes his visit to Spain in the Canary Islands, intending to get closer to the immigrant population. The Dársena de Los Llanos, located in the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is already preparing to experience a historic day with the massive Eucharist that Pope Leo XIV will officiate as the culmination of his visit to Spain. Tens of thousands of people will attend this mass that will begin with the welcome of Chago Melián, who will perform an Ave Maria, continue with the performance of Guan Magec, a Catholic music band where its five members are from Tenerife, and will end with the performance of Los Sabandeños, references of Canarian folklore, who will offer a journey through their traditional repertoire with three styles of folklore and nods to Latin American influence.

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• David Bustamante
• Sara Baras
• Carolina Marín
• Sergio Dalma
• Niña Pastori
• Pope Leo XIV