A common thread throughout Pope Leo’s first day in Madrid, Spain, is the presence of young people, from volunteers at a reception center for the homeless to participants in the prayer vigil in the evening.
By Kielce Gussie – Madrid, Spain
The first day of Pope Leo’s visit to Madrid is one full of young people: from his visit to the social project—part of Caritas Madrid—Cedia 24 Horas where young people work as volunteers to the prayer vigil was organized by, led by, and dedicated to the youth of the city.
An enriching experience
The social project, Cedia 24 Horas, is one of Cáritas Madrid’s longest-running projects. Founded in 1977, it served as a coffee delivery van for homeless people. Over the last 49 years, the organization has developed and adapted to the growing needs of the people around them. It has become “a first-response project” for “pure and simple exclusion.”
As the number of people in need of support grows—about 2,500 people received aid last year—it reveals a landscape marked by increasing difficulties in accessing stable housing.
Cedia 24 Horas was founded in 1977
The work of Cedia 24 Horas is made possible through their volunteers.
Meet Clara Wiek, a volunteer at the center in Madrid. She explains that she enjoys her time working there because of how much she can learn through the people she meets in her work. “It’s an exchange of language and of culture” at the center.
Every day, Clara says she is impressed by people’s stories. “It touched me to hear what they are living through and how they keep going, how they are reaching for their dreams, how they are still believing, still having hope in finding what they are looking for,” Clara shares.
Working at Cedia 24 Horas can include serving food, working in the garden, or just spending time with the people being cared for. More than 20 professionals, including social workers and psychologists, are present at the center to offer support and aid.
How the workers serve has also had an impact on Clara as a young adult. “It touches me to see how the social workers here are helping them to approach their dreams and to fulfill what they are searching here.”
Overall, she stresses her experience at Cedia 24 Horas has been “a very enriching experience.”
Part of the community
Another group of young people in Madrid also have a special connection to a stop on Pope Leo’s itinerary: the prayer vigil with at the Plaza de Lima. The Madrid Youth Delegation is made of young adults active in their parishes and religious movements, and in Marina Pinto’s words, they’re a representation of the different territories of Madrid—”north and south, with all the differences.”
One of the organizers of the vigil that will conclude Pope Leo’s first night in Spain, Marina highlights how despite their varied backgrounds and perspectives, this group spent the last few months preparing for the papal journey.
Dedicating time to meet with and speak to local youth and young adults is often a tradition during apostolic visits. But Marina highlights how it also makes up a part of the Church’s mission as it tries to give young people some space to speak.
This is something Marina hopes never stops because young people are “a strong part of the community. They are not only the future. They’re also the present. It’s important to keep on listening to them.”
The stage and set-up for the Pope’s prayer vigil (AFP or licensors)
The vigil is important, not just for the young Catholics of Madrid and around the world but also for non-Catholics. “We want all young people to feel invited to the vigil with the Pope,” Marina notes, especially in the current context in Spain where there is a growing number of young people interested in the Catholic faith.
She stresses the need to be welcoming to them, even to those who may not have any knowledge or formation in the Church. The important thing is that they are asking questions. This means they are searching for something. The vigil, Marina says, is centered around that idea, around young people’s search.
A direct line with the Pope
For a few young people, the prayer vigil will be extra special as they will have the opportunity to speak directly with Pope Leo and ask him questions relevant to their state in life.
Fernando is one of these young adults. He shares he hopes the Pope’s response is one that “really connects with the reality of both the young people of Madrid and around the world, who have a thirst for the truth and they want something that gives meaning to their lives.”
The preparation, the questions, and the songs of the vigil all reflect this communal search for the truth. The theme of the pontiff’s time in Madrid is no different: “Alzada la mirada” or “Look up”.
More than just the motto for the journey, Marina says it can be a mantra for young people throughout their lives. “There are problems. There’s bad stuff happening. But we have to make the effort to keep on looking up because there’s still hope.”
