Antonio Banderas invokes before the Pope the Holy Week of Malaga and the origin of the "spell of God"

Paco Griñán

Málaga

Pope Leo XIV's visit to Spain had an unusual setting this Sunday. The Movistar Arena in Madrid, a venue for major concerts, hosted the event 'Networking with the world of culture, education, business, and sports', a massive event where the Pontiff was received like the rock stars who usually perform in this auditorium. In front of 12,000 standing people, the first to take the podium was the actor, director, and producer from Malaga, Antonio Banderas, who invoked the Holy Week of Malaga before the Holy Father and confessed that in this popular and religious expression lies the origin of his devotion and what he called the "spell of God".

The promoter of the Teatro del Soho Caixabank, who the day before also directed the performance before Leo XIV of a number from the musical 'Godspell' which was highly applauded, began his speech by thanking the Pontiff's presence in Spain as "it is not just a visit, it is a gesture, a gesture of listening, closeness, and dialogue with civil society." The meeting's main argument was the communicating vessel of culture and religion, prompting Banderas to look back twenty centuries to remember and acknowledge without risk of "mistaking" that "the Church has been the greatest producer of art in the history of humanity".

Antonio Banderas showed himself as a follower of Jesus Christ, as an icon "of peace, love, sacrifice, surrounded by an inexhaustible mystery"

A production that, he noted, has an inexhaustible inspiration: Jesus Christ, "the most represented figure in the history of art" and "the great protagonist of the movie of life in all arts" as an icon "of peace, love, sacrifice, surrounded by an inexhaustible mystery". Before Leo XIV, the actor expressed his devotion to the figure of the Son of God and took the speech to a personal level to offer "a small reflection aloud on my own experience". A story in which he soon mentioned his Malaga origin and his deep brotherhood affection.

"I have to go back in time to the celebrations of Holy Week in my beloved Malaga, when at just 4 or 5 years old a question arose in me that contained only one word: God"

Antonio Banderas

Actor, director, and producer

Banderas also claimed that "art is not only beauty" and looked at the present to demand before the Pope that culture also has a responsibility towards society and "must be an alternative to violence, all violences". Therefore, he demanded the commitment of the artist, who must act "with courage and not abandon society, art itself, and religion itself".

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It was not his only reference to the current events. Like the Pope with his recent encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas', which warns of the excesses of AI, Antonio Banderas also referred to this technology that concerns him, as reflected in his statements in recent months. "Art helps us recover the depth and soul that is being stolen by artificial intelligences that should serve humans and not the other way around," denounced the actor and director from Malaga, whose stance is in tune with the Holy Father.

"Art helps us recover the depth and soul that is being stolen by artificial intelligences that should serve humans and not the other way around"

Antonio Banderas

Actor, director, and producer

To conclude, Antonio Banderas advocated for continuing to create and remembered the words of Saint Augustine - to which the Holy Father belongs - to not fall into despair or indolence. "Be better yourselves and the times will be better," he recalled to the applause of those present. Then, addressing Leo XIV directly, he confessed that he was at this meeting thanks to the musical 'Gospel' from the Teatro del Soho. A work that originated in the United States, the country of origin of the Pope, before which he remembered that the title "means the spell of God". "Today I am here, Holy Father, confessing to have been a victim of the spell of God", the artist concluded, who approached the Pontiff who thanked him for his intervention and his words. And he gave the Malaga native a red box with a rosary as a gift.

Journalists Carlos Franganillo and Lara Síscar hosted this ceremony that also featured the presence of badminton player Carolina Marín and paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales, as well as performances by Sara Baras and Rozalén, who provided the musical closure to the meeting. During the event, the president of the CEOE, Ángel Garamendi; the president of CEPYME, Ángela de Miguel; the general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez; and the general secretary of Comisiones Obreras, Unai Sordo, also spoke, showing that, beyond legitimate differences, there is a willingness to weave solid and transversal alliances.

The event featured a considerable representation of the central government, with the First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, at the forefront, as well as the Second Vice President and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; the Third Vice President and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen; and the Minister of Education, Professional Training, and Sports, Milagros Tolón.

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• Madrid (city)
• Antonio Banderas
• Pope Leo XIV