A historic week begins. After 15 years, a Pope will visit Spain. Leon XIV will land in Madrid on Saturday, but the capital is already finalizing preparations to become, along with Barcelona, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife, the epicenter of the Catholic faith for six days. This Monday, Isabel Díaz Ayuso met with Leon XIV at the Vatican, where they discussed the upcoming trip and the agenda that the Holy Father will have in Madrid.
There will be numerous events: from the mass at Cibeles to the vigil in Lima; from visiting a social assistance center to meeting with civil society at the Santiago Bernabéu, the floral offering at the Almudena, or the reception at the Spanish Parliament. That's why Ayuso chose to present the Pope this Monday at the Vatican with the Gold Medal of the Community of Madrid "as a gesture of courtesy and gratitude from the people of Madrid for his upcoming apostolic trip to the region."
"I have noticed him very excited to come, with great anticipation to arrive soon," Ayuso expressed during the meeting with Leon XIV, with whom she conversed for an hour about "the Madrid he will find, about life on the streets, openness, diversity, and the joy" of the capital.
"It is a pride for him to enter Spain through Madrid," celebrated the regional president, who, as she expressed during a media briefing from St. Peter's Square, conveyed to Leon XIV her "concern" about "the youth, integration in Madrid, and the Hispanic heritage." Also about "the loneliness of the elderly," resulting from the "high life expectancy" in the capital.
"We are thrilled about his arrival," acknowledged Ayuso, who asserted that during the audience, they did not discuss the political situation in Spain, currently marked by the complex legal landscape facing Pedro Sánchez's government, especially after the recent indictment of former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. "Sánchez is a disgrace, and his is a State mafia," she declared hours earlier in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
Matters of great importance for the president of the Community of Madrid, which, however, were not mentioned during her audience at the Vatican with the Pope on Monday: "We are a very joyful country that knows how to set aside its differences for a while. We will celebrate the visit of Leon XIV in that unity," Ayuso expressed.