More than a million people flocked to the streets of Madrid to catch sight of Pope Leo XIV holding his open-air Mass this morning.The Pontiff was driven through the Spanish capital in his beloved 'popemobile' on the second day of his official week-long visit to the country - the first in 15 years - with devotees shouting 'long live the Pope' and waving Spanish and Vatican flags.The event fell on the Catholic Corpus Domini feast day, which often features processions of faithful through towns and cities led by a priest carrying the Eucharist.In Spain, as in other predominantly Catholic countries, the processions often feature elaborate floral carpets arranged along the route, with locals throwing petals themselves in front of the Pope's route.Cibeles Square - best known as the rallying point for Real Madrid fans celebrating their club's titles - was transformed into a giant communion of a different kind, as Pope Leo urged the 1.2million listeners of his sermon to care for others.He told the crowd, which included the Spanish royal family, that God 'identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken', before carrying a gilded monstrance, or container, holding a Eucharistic host and walked over the floral carpets.The huge turnout in Spain began yesterday for Leo's arrival, where he was greeted by King Felipe and Queen Letizia at the Royal Palace.Thousands of devotees lined the streets of central Madrid before an estimated 600,000 young Spaniards attended a vigil service at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, kneeling for several minutes in silent prayer alongside the Pope. The Pontiff was driven through the Spanish capital in his beloved 'popemobile' on the second day of his official week-long visit to the country More than a million people flocked to the streets of Madrid to catch site of Pope Leo XIV holding his open-air Mass this morning'Let me take the opportunity to tell all of you: Don't ever be afraid of thinking about a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, or other services in the church,' Leo told the crowd.The Pope has been keen to highlight the long tradition of Catholic devotion to encourage especially young generations to find their faith in a once-staunchly Catholic country where religious observance has largely been on the wane. He said the continued observance of such devotional practices points to what Spain can and should be for the world.'Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today,' Leo said.During the apostolic journey, the Pope will also visit Barcelona, the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, with several of his engagements focusing on marginalised people, migrants and youth.He's hoping to bring a message of unity in a country polarised with political and church scandals.During his trip, the first US head of the Catholic Church will also inaugurate a new tower in Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia basilica and will meet survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the Vatican said, adding that further details will be provided after the meeting. 'They are good teachings, whether we believe in him or not. They are humanitarian teachings,' Peralta said of Leo, the fourth pope she has seen after John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. The Pope told the crowd, which included King Felipe, Queen Letizia and their two daughters, that God 'identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken' Cibeles Square - best known as the rallying point for Real Madrid fans celebrating their club's titles - was transformed into a giant communion of a different kind, as Pope Leo urged the 1.2million listeners of his sermon to care for others The authorities had prepared a vast logistical and security operation to secure the mass and the ensuing procession led by Leo, with screens set up to broadcast the Pope's messageLaura Peralta, a 46-year-old school councillor, had travelled from the southern region of Andalusia, determined not to miss the occasion of 'excitement, joy, faith and love'. Teresa Valdecantos, a human resources employee in her 50s, arrived propped up on crutches but was undeterred. 'Who doesn't have pain? I've come with a good chair', before adding it was 'worth the effort'. The authorities had prepared a vast logistical and security operation to secure the mass and the ensuing procession led by Leo. Hundreds of priests who had assembled handed out the consecrated wafers to the attendees with the help of volunteers who shaded them with white umbrellas. 'Seeing so many people, so many young people, helped me a lot to pray. We were singing, answering prayers, it was a special moment,' Lourdes Madrigal, 47, said. Closer to the high-security perimeter, a crowd of worshippers had despaired as police officers blocked their route.'We want to see the pope!' they chanted in the small streets surrounding Cibeles Square, brandishing their QR access codes on sheets of paper and phones.'I have come to meet Jesus Christ through the words of the pope,' said 30-year-old police officer Marta Perez.'He's come to do good, with all his love,' she said of Leo's firm stance in favour of peace and migrants.The pope's visit also coincides with 10 days of concerts by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, and local church officials have indicated a meeting between the two is possible, but not confirmed, while the pope is in Madrid. Leo acknowledged the face-off: 'If they are confronted with the question "Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?" I think many will see Bad Bunny.'But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.'Pope Leo urged global leaders to avoid dividing their electorates with 'sterile simplifications' to gain popularity and called on them to listen to the world's cries for peace, in a forceful speech opening his tour of Spain.Leo, who has angered US President Donald Trump by criticising his anti-immigration policies and the Iran war, will meet homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands during a visit he has said he hopes will set an example to the world about respecting 'every human being.''Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarisation seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated,' Leo said in a speech before King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid.'I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarising narratives of your societal reality and history, so as to overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity.'He drew on Spain's history as an example of peaceful co-habitation between religions and cultures, making reference to how Christians, Muslims and Jews cooperated during medieval times to enhance human knowledge by translating Arabic texts into Latin, Spanish and Hebrew at the School of Translators in Toledo.'Your own history suggests that a culture of encounter, not confrontation, is what fosters stability and prosperity.'In reality, the message of peace, which at present unfortunately strikes some as naïve and others as confrontational, is welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies, but are rather open to the truth,' he said.In sharp contrast to many leading Western powers, not least Trump's United States, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government has opened a mass amnesty program, allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, often in makeshift dinghies, according to the NGO ​Caminando Fronteras.