It was the largest gathering planned during the pope’s visit to Barcelona.
On his first day in the city, Pope Leo XIV traveled to the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium. Before entering, he blessed a convoy of ambulances bound for Ukraine. The fleet will travel through a humanitarian corridor with Sister Lucía Caram, a Dominican nun who runs the Santa Clara Convent Foundation.
Once inside, around 40,000 people filled the stadium for the second prayer vigil of the Pope's apostolic journey in Spain.
After an emotional ceremony honouring the cross, which featured a carving inspired by the one inside the Sagrada Família, the pope spoke directly to the young people.
POPE LEO XIV
Many young people and adults are rediscovering the Christian faith, sometimes after having drifted away from God over a period of time. This is a significant step.
This restlessness is a gift that God himself gives: We are made for the infinite, and that is why every finite horizon, every step, every achievement — while satisfying us— also propels us forward and invites us to keep searching
Across Spain, more young people are returning to the Church and re-engaging with the Catholic faith. And among the questions put to the pope, one stood out: the importance of mental health.
CARMINA
A young person taking part in the Prayer Vigil in Barcelona
There are aspects of life that remain hidden in silence and shame, such as depression, a silent illness that affects many people — both young and old — and brings with it darkness, isolation and immeasurable pain.
How can we trust in God when it seems that nothing — not even our own life — is worth it?
Despite the weight of the question, the pope responded directly:
POPE LEO XIV
In the face of the most difficult and painful situations, when God seems absent, we must entrust to him once again the burdens we carry in our hearts, even crying out to him, even protesting like Job, confident that in some way he is present and near even when he appears to be silent. But I believe we cannot do this alone.
Forgiveness, family relationships, gender-based violence, mercy and compassion—these were the other issues Pope Leo XIV addressed during the prayer vigil on his first day in Barcelona.
