Over a million people filled the streets of Madrid and one of its main squares on Sunday morning to catch a glimpse of Pope Leo as he made his way to an open-air Mass in what was expected to be the largest event during his week-long visit to Spain.
People waved flags and shouted, “Long live the pope” as Leo was driven in the popemobile down Madrid’s main thoroughfare Paseo de la Castellana toward Cibeles Square, where he was due to preside over the Mass. Some tossed flower petals as he arrived in the square. Some 1.2 million people were in the square and its surrounding streets, the Vatican and local organisers said.