“The message of peace, which in these times, unfortunately, resonates for some as naive and for others as provocative, finds acceptance among those who do not confine themselves to prefabricated ideologies, but rather open themselves to the truth,” he remarked in his first speech in Madrid at the Royal Palace.

  Before the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia; the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez; almost the entire national political spectrum; and ecclesiastical authorities, His Holiness expressed his elation at visiting once again a country he knows well, but for the first time as Pope.

  Speaking from a Spanish perspective, he urged a shift away from the “culture of confrontation” and toward embracing “encounter, which generates stability and prosperity,” recalling several chapters and figures in Spanish history who sought answers amidst “darkness and light.”

  “I come to confirm, encourage, and inspire a renewed fidelity of believers” to the Gospel,” he wrote in a message on social media.

  The Pope will visit the staff and beneficiaries of the “CEDIA 24 HORAS” Social Project of Caritas Madrid, which assists vulnerable individuals and those struggling with addiction, and will preside over a Prayer Vigil with young people in Madrid’s Plaza de Lima.

  His address to the Spanish Congress of Deputies and the mass gathering at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium have generated considerable interest, as have his plans to visit shelters for immigrants and vulnerable people in Barcelona and the Canary Islands. jdt/kmg/ft