Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic visit to Spain. The ITA Airways plane carrying the pontiff landed at 10:13 a.m. at Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport, beginning a six-day trip that will also take the Pope to Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
The Spanish monarchs, King Felipe XIV and Letizia, were there to greet him at the airport. The queen attracted attention by wearing a white dress, a sign of the so-called "privilège du blanc," a prerogative granted to a very limited number of Catholic monarchs and spouses, which allows them to wear white during official meetings with the Pope. Also welcoming Prevost were the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and several ministers from the progressive coalition government, the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Ayuso, and the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martinez Almeida.
Escorted by the Royal Guard on horseback, the armored sedan carrying the Pope then arrived in the Plaza de Armas of the Royal Palace for the solemn welcoming ceremony. After the national anthems of the Vatican City and Spain, and the traditional 21-gun salute—the highest military honor reserved for heads of state—Leo XIV and Felipe VI inspected the honor guard, amid shouts of "Long Live the Pope!" from the thousands of people crowding the area outside the monumental complex.
The trip, under the motto "Look up," comes fifteen years after the last visit by a pontiff to Spain, after Benedict XVI's visit to Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011.
A day of celebration when we cannot forget the ongoing conflicts: regarding Iran, the Pope said on the plane in response to journalists' questions, "I believe it has already been stated very clearly: a just war is lacking there. The problem is that the theory of just war comes from centuries past, when people could not imagine the weapons and capacity for destruction that man possesses today." The Pope addresses the theme of just war in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
"I'm worried about Ukraine," he added: "The situation is getting worse every time. Now even some in the United States want to lend their support. It's been four and a half years. We need to find a solution." Leone also spoke about Lebanon: "I'm in contact with the religious leaders I met. We're looking for an answer. The situation is very complex."
(Unioneonline)