As Pope Leo XIV concludes the first leg of his Apostolic Journey to Spain, Cardinal José Cobo Cano, Archbishop of Madrid, offers Vatican News his reflections on the warm response of young people and politicians to the Pope’s four days in Madrid.
By Salvatore Cernuzio & Patricia Ynestroza – Madrid
As Pope Leo XIV left Madrid bound for Barcelona, the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid said the Pope has already offered the Church and Spanish society very clear paths to follow for the future after the first intense days.
Cardinal José Cobo Cano accompanied the Pope during his time in Madrid and will continue in Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
Speaking to Vatican News at the end of the visit to Madrid, the Cardinal said the first leg of his Apostolic Journey to Spain surpassed every expectation, as seen in the enthusiastic response of the city.
He recalled Pope Leo’s words to politicians and his encounter with victims of clerical sexual abuse, which the Cardinal explained the Church is working to confront so that “no victim feels excluded.”
Q: Your Eminence, can you give us an assessment of these days Madrid has experienced with Pope Leo XIV’s visit?
They were days of intense preparation. Meticulous preparation, because we did not want this visit to be only an event, but rather a journey. And in fact, they were intense days, and we were surprised by the response we received and that the Holy Father received, not only in terms of numbers, but also because of the warmth of the Church of Madrid. We were also surprised by the warmth of the welcome in Parliament.
Q: It was something that surprised everyone. In particular, the unanimous applause from all the politicians, which lasted almost ten minutes, and the standing ovation of “Long live the Pope!” Are these signs that perhaps politics and society are thirsting for speeches of this kind? What do you think?
It is a discourse in which the Church participates, a discourse that always invites us to lift up our gaze, that is, to go beyond our differences.
I believe the Pope has grown as a moral authority and ethical model, with his proposals, with the Church’s proposals on the European political scene.
The Pope invited us not to look to the past, not to rely exclusively on Spain’s Catholic cultural heritage, but to look to the future.
Q: How do you interpret this appeal by the Pope?
I believe that, just as he says, the Church faces the challenge of growing more and more, and this is in continuity with what Pope Francis said.
In this time of change, in this very particular moment, the Church has a very precise tradition, very precise experiences, but she is not obliged to repeat them. It means learning from history, but changing our language, our structures, and continuing to respond to the new challenges that arise.
The Pope’s encyclical is, in this sense, a light and a guide for understanding this statement in the area of lay vocations and their integration into the Church’s journey.
Q: What difficulties could arise in this area, and how should they be addressed?
First of all, we must accept the challenge, that is, recognize that we are experiencing a moment of growth, but a moment that we must shape and shape with the participation of the laity, with their formation and by trusting in them. It is a gradual assumption of responsibility.
I believe the entire synodal journey offers a light for this, and it is the path we have begun: that is, that each person, according to his or her vocation, take his or her place in the Church and assume his or her responsibilities. This is a recurring theme in all the addresses the Pope has given us during these days in Madrid.
Q: It is interesting to see the new generations, Gen Z as they are called, who by free choice are charting the course for a renewed Church.
Yes, clearly I believe there is an awakening taking place, but we must be cautious, because this awakening needs to be guided. Some reports tell us that people have a desire for transcendence, but we must also offer them an awakening to the essence of Jesus Christ, of the Gospel, of the tradition of the Church, that is, help them not to distance themselves from it.
I believe that at this moment we are facing a great challenge with what the Lord has placed at the doors of the Church: leading people to the experience of faith in Jesus Christ, to the experience of faith in the Church.
We must not get caught up only in numbers or in the enthusiasm of “how many of us there are!” or “how many will come?” All this is fine, but it is only the beginning. It is a call to responsibility for the whole Church at this moment and, in particular, for the Church in Spain.
Q: We saw almost one and a half million people at the Pope’s Mass at Cibeles and at the Corpus Christi procession and, the evening before, 600,000 young people at the vigil in Plaza de Lima, kneeling, in prayer and in silence before the Blessed Sacrament. But is Spain really as secularized as people say, or not?
No, no, Spain is an emerging country. There is a great search for God. Many people—and we also saw it at the vigil—are young people who are searching for God. I believe that this is a responsibility, at this moment, of the Church, of the Spanish Church, and in particular of Madrid.
How can we accompany all this awareness? We personally accompany the wounds and the searches of each of the people who come to us. Certainly this visit has been a very intense experience, not only seeing people crying after the Mass, but also feeling a strong sense of belonging to the people of God.
It was a moment in which we and the Pope gave people the opportunity to feel part of a people. Now we will also have to accompany them in the future.
Q: Then there is the issue of abuse. Yesterday, the Pope met several victims at the Nunciature. At what point is the Church in Spain in the fight against this scourge?
It is a wound of the past, but it is also a wound that we are trying to prevent for the future. It is a test the Church is facing, and I believe that, at least in the Archdiocese of Madrid, we have been working on it for ten years, accompanying victims. We have also had moments in which we have asked forgiveness, because we are generating a culture different from the one we received.
The Spanish Church, while diverse, is truly trying to take steps forward to generate this different culture, to generate support and to ensure that no victim feels excluded. The fact is that it is a very, very varied landscape. There are not only “victims”; rather, each victim is unique, and each victim needs special care. No, one cannot speak of victims in general.
I believe we are making progress, and at this moment the Government is also involved. The agreements with the Government, with the Bishops’ Conference and the Dioceses, are a fairly positive path.
Q: Pope Leo also addressed the Bishops regarding the situation of abuse victims and encouraged each of you to welcome them even more.
I believe the Pope has grasped the role of the Samaritan Church, which is a call and a vocation the Church has always had. The Church was born at the foot of a cross, at the foot of a victim, and I believe the Church must always be identified as the one who stands beside the vulnerable, beside those who are crucified.
The Pope placed this concept in every reality, speaking of the vulnerable, speaking of the victims of many problems. He therefore reminded us that this is the position of the Church: accompaniment, support, never forgetting.
Q: Your Eminence, what do you hope will happen after this visit by Pope Leo XIV? Can we say that the Apostolic Journey has revitalized the Spanish Church, or has it given a boost to a Church that is already alive?
No, it has revitalized her. The Holy Father has left us many tasks for the future, but he has also shown us the path to follow.
I believe that in every area—culture, politics, economics and the life of the Church, as he also said to the diocesan community of Madrid—the Pope has left lines of work and concrete positions, points of convergence, and for this we are deeply grateful.
